Murder suspect Luigi Mangione is the centre of attention in court this week over the death of a top healthcare executive – but the defendant has plenty of eyes on him in prison too
A young man due to stand trial for shooting dead a healthcare boss is being kept under constant watch in his prison cell as officials “do not want an Epstein-style situation”, a court has heard.
Luigi Mangione, 27, was arrested last December accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York. A corrections officer told Manhattan state court he was kept kept under tight supervision in a Pennsylvania state prison after his arrest.
Tomas Rivers, a British army veteran turned prison guard who monitored Mangione, said authorities are taking no chances amid the intense spotlight on the case and the suspect was assigned constant watch to prevent him from dying in custody like Epstein.
The paedophile financier’s death in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex trafficking was ruled a suicide but sparked wild theories of it being a hit job.
Mr Rivers told the court Mangione is being held in a prison at Huntingdon, rather than a local jail, “to ensure his security”. He said: “I was told that the secretary of the Department of Corrections requested the move from Blair county jail to SCI Huntingdon because Huntingdon has increased security capabilities.”
In the state prison, Mangione would likely meet fewer inmates and fewer extortion threats – and staff would be less likely to speak to the media.
Mr Rivers said: “Luigi Mangione was under constant watch.” He told the court close supervision was used for someone who might be a threat to themselves, adding: “There’s a paper trail of their behaviours and movements.”
The corrections officer said he was told that Mangione had constant watch to prevent him from dying in custody like Epstein, the Guardian reported.
The court has meanwhile probed whether it can use evidence gathered when Mangione was arrested last December at a McDonald’s after the killing of Brian Thompson, a top executive at United HealthCare.
Thompson’s murder on the streets of New York sparked a major manhunt. But the killing also highlighted fury over the US healthcare industry. Mangione has raged about “corporate greed” after failing to get the treatment he sought for a back injury.
His female supporters in court wear green, inspired by the Nintendo character Luigi. Many online commentators have also attempted to justify Thompson’s killing, complaining that the US healthcare system makes unjustified profits and fails to meet people’s needs.
Rivers told the court that he’d chatted to the accused assassin about their holidays, including trips to Thailand and Vietnam. They also talked about books. “We discussed Orwell, Huxley and Thoreau,” he said.
The accused killer has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. But he faces nine counts in his state case, including second-degree murder, which could keep him locked up for 25 years to life.
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