Prosecutors accuse Luigi Mangione’s lawyers of fanning publicity around him and call out hidden heart-shaped notes in socks

CNN

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — Luigi Mangione’s fashion choices at his latest court appearance have caught the attention of Manhattan prosecutors who are accusing his lawyers of encouraging the publicity around him.

Prosecutors told a judge Tuesday that Mangione’s defense team has “fanned the flames” of publicity in the murder case, which has already captivated the public’s attention and attracted supporters for the 26-year-old accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan.

At the criminal courthouse last month, dozens of supporters – many wearing green tops and hats – waited in the blistering cold to show support for Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges related to the December 4 shooting.

Mangione arrived at the February 21 court appearance with his hands and ankles shackled, wearing a bulletproof vest over a green sweater.

Prosecutors wrote in a Tuesday court filing that Mangione’s defense team gave him the green sweatshirt to wear to his court appearance “consistent with what his sympathizers were calling for supporters to wear.”

The defense “has on the one hand cried foul when entities outside the People’s control have made public statements or gestures, while on the other has itself fanned the flames of the public attention,” prosecutors wrote.

CNN has reached out to Mangione’s defense team for comment.

The prosecutors’ claims come after Mangione’s lawyers have accused law enforcement of playing to the television cameras with Mangione’s dramatic perp walk off a helicopter and onto a Manhattan pier, flanked by heavily armed law enforcement personnel with New York Mayor Eric Adams trailing behind. They have also complained about law enforcement officials’ participation in an HBO special.

Prosecutors also raised questions about a bag of clothing Mangione’s lawyers provided for him to change into before the court appearance that contained a note of support.

“Among the items of clothing was a new pair of argyle socks wrapped around cardboard. Secreted in the cardboard were two personal heart-shaped notes, one addressed to an unknown person named ‘Joan’ and the other to Luigi stating in part ‘know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,’” prosecutors said in the court filing.

Mangione was still allowed to wear the socks, “which he first changed into and later changed out of because he felt that ‘they did not look good,’” prosecutors said.

In court, Mangione wore loafers without socks, which were captured by photographers in the courtroom and drew attention on TikTok.

Mangione’s attorneys said they “inadvertently did not see” the two heart-shaped notes in the socks.

“This was obviously inadvertent as one of the two heart-shaped notes was not even addressed to Mr. Mangione,” his attorneys wrote in a Wednesday letter to the judge in the case. “The District Attorney’s Office ostensibly realized the innocent nature of this event, and that it was not a genuine danger or concern, as they did not bother to alert the Court at the time.”

In their filing, prosecutors said “the special treatment to the defendant’s benefit was violated when the People made accommodations for defendant’s fashion needs during the last court appearance.”

But Mangione’s attorneys in their letter said that their client changes out of his prison clothes out of respect to the court, and it does not constitute special treatment since it is an accommodation that is made to many incarcerated defendants.

Prosecutors also argued Mangione’s lawyers are seeking special treatment by asking that he be provided with a laptop computer while he is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. They said no laptop is needed since he has access to desktop computers. A judge has not yet ruled on the request.

A new log of evidence in the case

The shooting and subsequent manhunt in Manhattan captured national attention as Mangione’s alleged writings and words on bullets found at the scene channeled frustrations with the health insurance industry.

After his arrest, the former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate received a groundswell of support from fans who have donated more than $760,000 for his defense.

Mangione has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on 11 counts, including one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, along with other weapon and forgery charges. The first-degree murder charge alleges he killed the executive “in furtherance of an act of terrorism.”

He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, according to the Manhattan district attorney. He also faces a parallel federal case that carries the possibility of the death penalty.

In a new court filing, the state updated the court on the evidence they have obtained in the case, including a videotaped interrogation, DNA reports, 911 calls, laptops, and a granola bar wrapper they say was picked up from a trash can across the street from the Hilton hotel where Thompson was fatally shot.

Authorities also say they have cell phones, memory cards, shell casings, monopoly money, eight pairs of socks, 33 miscellaneous pills found in his backpack, a polaroid camera, tweezers, a red journal, two faraday bags, ammunition, firearms, and a pizza box and lemonade bottle from the Altoona Police Department cell, where Mangione was initially held after his arrest.

Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has said she believes Mangione’s constitutional rights were violated when officers seized his belongings during his arrest in Pennsylvania. She said she plans to challenge some of the evidence taken by law enforcement at the time.

Mangione’s next hearing is scheduled for June 26.

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CNN’s Emma Tucker contributed to this report.