Luigi Mangione granted laptop access in jail ahead of murder trial

NEW YORK CITY - A federal judge has granted Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood last year, the use of a laptop in jail to prepare for the murder trial after a request from the 27-year-old’s attorneys.

What we know:

U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett signed a letter on Monday that ordered the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where Mangione is being held, to provide the accused killer "with the laptop prepared by the government."

The court document said Mangione would have access to the laptop seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mangione’s attorneys, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan, on Friday sent the judge the letter asking for a personal computer so their client could "adequately prepare for trial and assist in his own defense."

The government-prepared laptop would be disabled from accessing the internet, printers and wireless networks in accordance with regulations, the attorneys noted in the letter, adding that Mangione would only be able to access case-related documents and video provided by the government.

The backstory:

Mangione is accused of ambushing Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare's annual shareholder conference was being held on Dec. 4, 2024. 

Prosecutors believe the fatal shooting was meant to send a message to the healthcare insurance industry based on a manifesto found on the suspect when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, days after Thompson's murder.