While accused assassin Luigi Mangione has thousands of supporters online and attracts demonstrators outside of his court appearances, their push for “jury nullification” in his pending cases may be a long shot, experts tell Fox News Digital.
The 26-year-old former Ivy Leaguer is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a Minnesota father of two, outside a shareholder conference in New York City on Dec. 4. Mangione allegedly kept journals that described his plans for the attack, his intent to send a message and condemnations of the health insurance industry.
“This case is not a Prohibition case nor a draft-dodging situation — it was an outright premeditated murder,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and criminal justice professor at Penn State Lehigh Valley. “My only concern is that Alvin Bragg has lost a number of high profile cases and was just dealt another blow with the dismissal of the terror charge in this case.”
Like Mangione, the suspect in that case was accused of writing messages on bullets used in the attack. Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from southern Utah, faces aggravated murder and other charges in connection with the attack.
As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 35,000 Mangione supporters had donated more than $1.2 million toward his defense in the three criminal proceedings he faces in New York, in Pennsylvania and federally.
Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, arrives at a heliport with members of the NYPD on December 19, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The cover photo for the fundraiser is an image of Mangione’s arrival in New York City after he was flown from Pennsylvania, where police captured him, to an airport on suburban Long Island. Wearing shackles and an orange jumpsuit, he is flanked by dozens of officers wearing NYPD and FBI gear.
His supporters have subsequently shown up in force outside his Manhattan court hearings as the murder case proceeds, many of them dressed up like Nintendo’s Luigi character and carrying signs. One notable sign present Tuesday, when the judge tossed state-level terror charges, read simply, “Jury Nullification.”
But while the group cheered news of Judge Gregory Carro’s decision, their broader hopes could be wishful thinking.
“Jury nullification could always be an issue, especially with how this kid has come to encapsulate so many progressive gripes against corporations and the insurance industry, but I don’t think even Manhattan criminal justice has been that completely defanged,” Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor, previously told Fox News Digital. “Yes, this is the venue that got us Alvin Bragg, but this is also the venue in which 12 ordinary New Yorkers acquitted Daniel Penny.”
Following up Wednesday, he said he’s still doubtful jury nullification would be a problem.
“[It’s] always possible, but I still lean hard against it,” he said. “But this is the Mamdani NYC, so anything’s possible.”
