A U.S. judge has allowed Luigi Mangione to take a laptop into prison (if prison officials approve it) so he can review documents and other materials related to the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case.
New York State Judge Gregory Carro said he had “no objection” to Mangione's request for the device, which would be configured to allow him only to view case files.
But Judge Carro emphasized that the final decision on control of the facility where Mangione is awaiting trial for the December shooting death of Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old executive at one of the nation's largest health insurance companies, rests with federal authorities.
Mr Thompson was ambushed as he was heading to a Manhattan hotel where the company was hosting a conference for investors.
Mangione, a prep school and Ivy League university graduate reported missing by his family, has pleaded not guilty to charges in New York, including murder as an act of terrorism.
He also faces a federal murder charge and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
He did not enter a plea in the federal case.
Requests for comment on this situation were directed to the Bureau of Prisons.
Judge Carro made his decision after a virtual meeting with prosecutors and Mangione's lawyers on Thursday morning.
The Associated Press tried unsuccessfully to arrange a public hearing to discuss the situation.
Court spokesman Al Baker said judges sometimes hold “informal virtual or in-person conferences” with attorneys on both sides to discuss scheduling, evidence collection “and other related matters.”
Mr Baker also clarified that Mangione was not present at the conference on Thursday.
On Monday, Mangione's lawyers asked for a laptop to review the vast amount of documents, videos and other material collected by prosecutors and turned over to the defense so far.
The lawyers argued that the volume of materials was so large that he would not be able to view them on the common computers for prisoners at the pretrial detention center or during meetings with lawyers, so he needed a separate laptop to study the materials and prepare his defense.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is treating the rare killing as a terrorism case, has denied a request for the laptop.
Prosecutors argued, among other things, that his lawyers could show him the highlights.
During discussions about the laptop, prosecutors said that who
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
