Luigi Mangione has denied his guilt in the murder of the head of UnitedHealthcare.

The court hearing on December 23 marked the first opportunity for Mandjone to respond to the charges brought against him by the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

According to the indictment, the 26-year-old American is charged with murder, involvement in illegal arms trafficking, and document forgery.

Prosecutor Joel Seideman stated that he had "never encountered a case with such a vast amount of evidence." He clarified that this did not pertain to the "quality of the evidence." According to the prosecutor, "this is not a typical case; it contains thousands of hours of video footage."

Mandjone's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, expressed concerns during the hearing about her client's ability to receive a fair trial. In particular, as reported by CNN, she referenced the presence of Mayor Eric Adams last week among dozens of heavily armed law enforcement officers when her client was extradited to Lower Manhattan from Pennsylvania.

"He is a young man, and the two conflicting jurisdictions are treating him like a ping-pong ball," she said. Judge Gregory Carro assured Agnifilo that her client's trial would be fair, adding that "the jury selection will be thorough." The date for the next court hearing is set for February 21.

On December 4, early in the morning, Luigi Mandjone shot and killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of one of the largest healthcare insurance companies in the U.S., UnitedHealthcare. The murder sparked significant public outcry. Investigators believe the motive stemmed from the defendant's animosity towards the healthcare insurance industry. A "manifesto," allegedly authored by Mandjone, surfaced online, in which he harshly criticizes insurance companies, accusing them of profiting at the expense of patients.

• Mandjone's LinkedIn profile indicates that he worked as a data processing engineer at TrueCar, a website for buying new and used cars.
• Initially, Mandjone appeared in a Pennsylvania court and was charged with five counts, with bail being denied.
• Several hours later, New York investigators charged him with murder.