Prosecutors in two separate jurisdictions denied accusations from alleged CEO murderer Luigi Mangione's lawyers of improprieties committed against their client.
Mangione, 26, is accused of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel last December.
Mangione's Pennsylvania attorney requested that several charges be tossed and evidence connected to the suspect's arrest at an Altoona McDonald's last December be thrown out due to law enforcement approaching the suspect and preventing him from leaving.
In a Monday court filing in Blair County, Pennsylvania, prosecutors said police did not mislead the suspect during the arrest.
"The Commonwealth avers that police at all times acted within the authority bestowed by law," prosecutors wrote in the court filing, WPVI reported.
The filing was in response to court documents submitted in late February by attorney Thomas Dickey, representing Mangione in Pennsylvania, PennLive reported.
According to the filing, a McDonald's manager called police, described where he was seated, and said he "looks like the CEO shooter from New York." The caller said she was asking for police assistance because she could not approach or confront Mangione herself.
"The officers had valid reasonable suspicion to support an investigatory detention to identify who Defendant-Mangione was and whether he was a homicide suspect," said the filing, signed by Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks.
"Defendant-Mangione voluntary (sic) speaks to officers without police compulsion and willingly provides them with is forged identification. In fact, at no time does Defendant-Mangione ask to leave, attempt to leave or try to disengage from the detention."
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to local charges of forgery, possession of an instrument of a crime and giving a false ID to an officer.
On Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, prosecutors denied allegations they eavesdropped on calls between Mangione and his lawyer, CBS News reported.
In a letter filed with U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, federal prosecutors say the Metropolitan Detention Center, where Mangione is being held, regularly records and monitors jail lines.
Prosecutors further said Mangione spoke to his attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, on one of those monitored lines instead of a line specially designated for attorney calls, and the phone number Agnifilo used was not identified as belonging to counsel.
Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of Thompson as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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