Judge adjourns Luigi Mangione’s hearing in New York federal case until April

New York, Mar 17 (EFE) - Judge Katharine Parker on Monday postponed until April the hearing against Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, in his federal case, initially scheduled for Wednesday in New York.

In a document filed with the city's Southern District Court, the judge accepted a request from Mangione's lawyers, married couple Karen and Marc Agnifilo, asking to delay the hearing by 30 days to allow "adequate preparation for pretrial proceedings and the trial itself."

Parker stressed that the continuance "best serves the ends of justice and overrides the interests of the public and the defendant in (holding) a speedy trial."

Following the court decision, the hearing is scheduled to take place next April 18.

Mangione, 26, is accused of killing Thompson on December 4 in the heart of Manhattan, after which he staged a cinematic escape and, five days later, was arrested by police at a McDonald's in Altoona (Pennsylvania).

The young man faces two other prosecutions, one at the state level in New York for a possible act of terrorism and another in Pennsylvania.

Mangione has so far pleaded not guilty to the state charges and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The federal murder charges could result in the defendant facing the death penalty.

Mangione's case has generated a furor in the United States, where many consider him a hero who has stood up to the private insurance business; and, in fact, an initiative to raise funds to pay for his defense has already raised more than $700,000. EFE