Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Luigi Mangione’s Pre-Trial Clothing Request
Luigi Mangione opted to not wear the argyle socks to his February 21 court appearance.Curtis Means - Pool/Getty Images
The man accused of killing UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson last year will now be allowed to wear civilian clothes for his upcoming court appearance.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Luigi Mangione can select from a limited set of outfits for his Dec. 1 hearing, according to ABC News.
“Mangione is currently housed in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and does not have civilian clothes to wear for the hearings,” defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said in court filings.
Judge Margaret Garnett ordered the Bureau of Prisons to provide Mangione with “2 suits; 3 shirts; 3 sweaters; 3 pairs of pants; 5 pairs of socks; and 1 pair of shoes (without laces)” for court appearances.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges in the shooting. His Dec. 1 hearing will address the state charges. No trial date has been set.
This is not Mangione’s first courtroom clothing issue. In February, he requested civilian clothes, prompting his defense team to supply a bag that included a pair of new argyle socks wrapped around cardboard. Hidden in the cardboard were two heart-shaped notes—one addressed to “Joan” and the other to Mangione himself.
“In spite of this, the defendant was permitted to wear the argyle socks, which he first changed into and later changed out of because he felt that ‘they did not look good,’” prosecutors noted. They added that, fortunately, the notes did not pose a security risk. The incident drew criticism from prosecutors, who remarked that Mangione’s “fashion needs” were being accommodated.
While Mangione has made progress in wardrobe matters, technology remains an obstacle. Although a judge approved him to have a computer in jail to review the massive amount of evidence collected by prosecutors, he has yet to receive it.
Friedman Agnifilo explained that all internet, printer, and wireless connections had to be removed before the laptop could be delivered, a process that took several weeks. Federal prosecutors now have the device. Some of the more than seven terabytes of evidence will be loaded onto the computer, with the remainder on an external hard drive.
“Once Mr. Mangione receives the laptop and hard drive, he will need time to meaningfully review” the material before his hearing, Friedman Agnifilo said.
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