The attorney hired to represent the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO said that he’s seen no evidence showing his client is guilty.
Law enforcement officials say Mangione is the individual who approached UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk earlier this month and fatally shot him in the back.
Dickey said Mangione plans to plead not guilty and urged people to remember that in the American justice system, defendants are innocent until proven guilty.
“The burden is always on the government, thank God, and that’s their burden, and they’re going to have to produce some evidence, and we’re anxious to see it,” said the lawyer, who announced during the hearing that he was fighting government attempts to extradite Mangione to face charges.
The challenge prolongs what can be a relatively quick process when defendants waive their right to fight extradition. The U.S. Constitution’s Extradition Clause provides that, upon the demand of the governor of the state from which a fugitive fled, the fugitive be delivered to that state.
The judge in the hearing gave Mangione 14 days to file a petition formally challenging the extradition. The judge gave prosecutors 30 days to obtain the New York governor’s warrant.
“We’re going to do what’s necessary to get the governor’s warrant and we’re working with the New York City Police Department and the Manhattan DA’s office and we’re going to get the defendant out there so they can prosecute him on their charges,” Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks told reporters in a briefing after the hearing. “So, waiving accelerates that process. Contesting it just provides more hoops for law enforcement and prosecutors to jump through but we’re happy to do that.”
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona after a customer alerted police. Officers found Mangione with multiple fake IDs, a firearm, and a silencer, according to police.
Dickey, Mangione’s lawyer, declined to talk about his client’s injury.
Mangione on his way into the hearing shouted, “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the American people and their lived experience.”
“He seems outspoken,” Dickey said. As a defendant, it’s natural to experience a range of emotions, the lawyer said. Dickey said he wants to do all of the talking moving forward. “Hopefully there won’t be any more of that,” he said, regarding the shouting.
Dickey has met with his client. When asked by reporters about his first impressions of his client, Dickey said, “I wasn’t looking for impressions. What I was trying to do was form a bond with my client, I want him to trust me, and I want him to be confident that I’m here for him, and I feel that I’m very pleased with how that went.”
The lawyer said he was hired. He would not say who hired him.
