Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs What’s NewLuigi Mangione’s “only real defense” would be to plead insanity or to say he has some kind of mental defect, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Akerman said.”I think the only real defense that you can possibly have here is some kind of insanity or mental defect defense,” Ackerman, who served as a Watergate prosecutor, told CNN on Tuesday. The legal analyst’s assessment came after he said that “there’s no question about his liability here.”Newsweek reached out to Mangione’s attorney on Wednesday via email for comment.Why It MattersMangione, 26, allegedly shot and killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance company UnitedHealthcare, as he walked outside a New York City hotel on December 4. Federal prosecutors have levied multiple charges against the accused, including one that could carry the death penalty.He additionally faces six charges in New York state that carry maximum penalties ranging from one year to life in prison. He also faces relatively less serious charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, for possession of a fraudulent document (ID) and possession of a gun and silencer.Mangione has pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges.
Luigi Mangione appears for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23 in New York City. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Ackerman told CNN on Tuesday that pleading insanity would be Mangione’s “only real…
Luigi Mangione appears for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23 in New York City. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Ackerman told CNN on Tuesday that pleading insanity would be Mangione’s “only real defense.”
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What To KnowWhile many have expressed condemnation of the shooting, many others have voiced support for the accused and criticism of the nation’s health insurance industry. Mangione’s good looks have also boosted his support, with some dubbing him a “sex symbol” online.Protesters have come out in support of Mangione at his court proceedings, many holding signs or wearing shirts that slam the nation’s health care problems. While many have said they don’t support violence, they have also said they have difficulty feeling empathy for the wealthy CEO of an insurance company. They often cite denial of health care claims, saying these decisions result in direct harm and even death for a large number of Americans.What People Are SayingAckerman told CNN: “They’ve got him coming into New York. They’ve got almost every step he took, including the actual murder, on tape. There’s no way he gets out from under the fact that he can’t claim innocence based on the facts.”Ackerman explained how an insanity defense could work: “What you have to do is really dig in deeply, talk to the family members, try and find out what that medical history was that we heard about. How did that impact him? Is there anything out there [that] would give you some kind of a hook on the defense?”He added: “Certainly, an insanity defense would protect him from any kind of death penalty in the federal action. But that is really a huge job.”Neama Rahmani, co-founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, previously told Newsweek: “Insanity may be his only defense because it’s a very hard case to defend on the merits and argue he wasn’t the killer. DNA, fingerprint and ballistics evidence puts him at or near the scene. The video appears to be him, and his manifesto explains his motive. The plotting and premeditation undercut the potential insanity argument, however.”
Alan Dershowitz, a constitutional lawyer well known for representing high-profile clients like Donald Trump and O.J. Simpson, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill: “If Mangione insists on claiming he didn’t do it, and refuses to plead insanity, his attorney would be in a difficult position. She would lose her credibility with the jury if she vigorously asserts that it was not him who shot Thompson.”He went on: “Her best tactic would be to acknowledge that the forensic evidence shows that he committed what is called ‘the actus reus’—the act component of the crime of first-degree murder. She would then have the credibility to argue that he lacked the ‘mens rea’—the mental elements necessary for a conviction of first- or second-degree murder or terrorism.”What Happens NextSo far, Mangione has maintained his innocence despite the substantial evidence put forward by prosecutors.Whether he and his attorney decide to pursue an insanity plea remains to be seen. His next court date is set for February 21.
