Luigi Mangione, the man alleged to have killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024, pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing in a New York courtroom on Monday. Mangione has been charged with eleven state criminal counts including murder as an act of terrorism, along with federal counts related to murder and stalking offenses that could potentially lead to the death penalty if he is convicted. Mangione was arrested at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania after going on the run.

Other issues raised at the hearing by his defense lawyer was the presence of New York’s mayor Eric Adams as Mangione was extradited for his murder charges, with his lawyer labeling it as “utterly political” and stating that it lessened her client’s chances of receiving a fair trial. Other points of contention in the trial include that the judge presiding over Mangione’s pre-trial hearings is married to a former Pfizer executive, a biopharmaceutical company.

Mangione has faced great support online for his actions due to the controversy surrounding US healthcare companies. Many online defense funds for Mangione, for instance, have raised nearly $200,000 in legal funds. Other healthcare companies are retreating on unpopular policies following Brian Thompson’s death. Anthem Blue Cross, a US healthcare company, walked back a few weeks after the murder on a wildly unpopular provision introduced in November that would stop the company from paying full costs of anesthesia during surgery in three states.

Mangione’s motives for the crime he allegedly committed remain unclear, but many online continue to support his actions due to their widespread disdain for healthcare companies.