Accused killer Luigi Mangione’s murder trial: Judge to address evidence, jury disputes
Defense attorney Ken Belkin is weighing in on Luigi Mangione’s upcoming Manhattan murder trial, where a judge is expected to tackle major disputes involving evidence and jury selection. Belkin also pointed to the possibility of a mental health defense, continued discovery holdups ahead of the September trial date, and the risk of jury nullification amid New York City’s highly charged political atmosphere.
A top aide to Washington Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George has publicly called for Mangione to be released and pardoned, according to posts on her Threads account.
Since his arrest, Mangione has continued to draw notable public support, including more than $1.5 million raised to help pay for his prominent legal defense team.
In a May post on the platform, Makia Green identified herself as George’s political director.
Shortly after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Green used social media to call for Mangione — the man accused of carrying out the assassination — to be freed.
Makia Green, pictured at left, called for the release of Luigi Mangione in the days following his arrest in connection with Thompson’s murder. (@workitkiki/Threads)
“Comment when you see this,” she wrote. “#FreeLuigi and pardon the youth!”
Her video garnered no replies. The New York Post unearthed it earlier.
In another video, she also complained about UnitedHealthcare, claiming she was a customer and that the insurer had assigned her a primary care physician she couldn’t find.
Most plans allow customers to pick their own PCP.
Left: Luigi Mangione appears at an evidence suppression hearing at the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2026. Right: Makia Green in a June 1 selfie wearing a Janeese Lewis George for mayor campaign pin. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/Pool, @workitkiki/Threads)
Her Instagram bio includes a link to an ActBlue fundraiser for the Lewis George campaign, but her profile itself was private when viewed Tuesday.
Lewis George’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is shown in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth. He was shot and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors described as a politically motivated assassination. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
In 2020, the candidate ran for the city council, vowing to “cut police” in her ward. She’s also called for “free abortion care,” packing the Supreme Court and removing Justice Clarence Thomas.
Her positions have garnered her comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a fellow Democratic socialist who was recently embroiled in a Mangione-related scandal of his own after a group of outspoken supporters obtained city-granted press passes.
He later said they should not have been able to get them.
Lena Weissbrot, a Luigi Mangione supporter and credentialed independent journalist, is pictured outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 18, 2026. (Molly Crane-Newman/Getty Images)
Mamdani, however, does not appear on the section of her campaign site touting endorsements from fellow politicians, unions and other groups.
Mangione is accused of stalking Thompson and shooting him in the back outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel, then fleeing to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was arrested while eating a McDonald’s breakfast.
Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him while arriving for his extradition hearing at Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., on Dec. 10, 2024. Mangione was charged in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (David Dee Delgado for News Agency)
The accused assassin was due in a New York court Tuesday morning in connection with the case, but his hearing was postponed by a day due to a mix-up.
He is expected to go to trial on Sept. 8 on state charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
A separate federal trial is slated to kick off early next year.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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