Friday's preliminary pretrial hearing was Mangione's first court appearance since he was arraigned on state murder charges in December.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the killing of Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown hotel on Dec. 4, 2024.
After a five-day manhunt, police arrested Mangione at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania. Police said he was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry.
Mangione facing state and federal charges
During his arraignment, Mangione's defense attorney accused New York City Mayor Eric Adams of tainting the jury pool by bringing Mangione back to Manhattan in a choreographed show of force, surrounded by heavily armed officers.
Mangione also faces federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty. Prosecutors said that both cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
Pearson explained the state may have a difficult time arguing the murder as an act of terrorism charge.
Pearson also said the jury selection process could be complicated, given the outpouring of online support for Mangione.
"That is a huge perception problem. As we saw with the case involving the State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump, there was a very difficult jury selection process. It's going to be that way here, because there's been so may donations that have been made to a public fund for him," she said. "That is also going to be difficult because, recently, one of those donations was made anonymously, so they're going to have to make sure that the jurors aren't people who have contributed to this fund."
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