Luigi Mangione was MIA at a highly anticipated hearing on Tuesday after the Manhattan district attorney’s office forgot to ask his federal jailers to bring him to court.
State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro rescheduled the appearance for Wednesday morning after lawyers for the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson informed him of the administrative blunder.
“It’s on us,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann conceded, taking the rap for the undelivered writ to the Metropolitan Detention Center requesting that Mangione be produced.
Carro is yet to rule on a motion by Mangione’s defense team that invited speculation when they filed it under seal earlier this month. He was expected to reveal the reason for the ask and his decision on Tuesday.
The judge briefly asked the parties about the status of the jury questionnaire, signaling Mangione’s state trial was expected to proceed as planned on Sept. 8.
The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and related charges stemming from the fatal shooting of Thompson outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown on Dec. 4, 2024.
The Maryland man also faces federal stalking charges, hence his incarceration at the federal jail in Sunset Park alongside the likes of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He also maintains his innocence in that case, which is scheduled to go to trial in November.
Authorities allege the University of Pennsylvania graduate trailed the 50-year-old Thompson for weeks after plotting to murder him in an act of divine retribution for the ruthless profiting practices of the U.S. healthcare industry.
Asked about prosecutors dropping the ball after the hearing, the Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment beyond what was said in court.
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an alum of the Manhattan DA’s office, declined to take a swipe at her former colleagues.
“He’ll be here tomorrow,” she said. “Mistakes happen.”
