June 3 (UPI) — Alleged murderer Luigi Mangione’s attorneys want the court to allow him to attend court proceedings without wearing handcuffs or body armor.
Lead defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo on Tuesday filed a motion asking New York County Court of Claims Judge Gregory Carro to allow the court to remove the shackles and body armor when Mangione is seated at the defense table.
“The authorities — both state and federal — have already prejudiced Mr. Mangione in the media more than virtually any defendant in recent memory,” Agnifilo said in the motion filing that she shared with UPI.
“This commenced with the [New York City] mayor-led staged perp walk, and it continues until today.”
She said the handcuffs and body armor “perpetuate a false narrative” that Mangione is unusually dangerous and requires special security measures.
Mangione has been a “model prisoner” and a “model defendant in court” by treating court and prison staff with respect and cooperation, Agnifilo said.
“These deeply prejudicial security measures, which are invariably photographed and circulated to the public, including potential jurors, are unnecessary and should not continue as they are damaging to Mr. Mangione’s right to a fair trial,” she added.
Agnifilo said there is “no justifiable reason” to require Mangione to wear handcuffs and a visible bulletproof vest in court, which “unfairly prejudices Mr. Mangione and impedes his right to effectively defend himself.”
Mangione’s legal defense team during a court proceeding on Feb. 21 asked the court to remove the handcuffs, which Carro initially allowed, Agnifilo said.
An off-the-record conversation between the court staff and Carro caused the judge to rescind the permission due to unstated “security reasons,” she said.
Mangione remains in federal custody due federal charges accusing him of two counts of stalking, one count of murder through the use of a firearm and one count of a firearms offense for using a suppressor during his alleged shooting death of former United Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk on the morning of Dec. 4.
Mangione is scheduled in court next on June 26, and Agnifilo wants him to appear in civilian clothing without wearing handcuffs or body armor.
He is charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, firearms charges and using a forged instrument in the New York Court system.
He also is charged with offenses in Pennsylvania that are related to Thompson’s shooting death.
