Luigi Mangione back in court as mystery lingers over sealed hearing

Luigi Mangione will return Tuesday to a New York courtroom — where a judge could reveal why he chose to bar the public from a recent hearing in the high-profile murder case.The 28-year-old accused killer is due in Manhattan Supreme Court ahead of a September 8 trial where a jury will decide whether to convict him of executing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.Tuesday’s proceeding will be held in full view of the public, in contrast to a mysterious “sealed” hearing that Justice Gregory Carro ordered earlier this month at the request of Mangione’s defense team.It followed Carro last month handing prosecutors a key legal win by allowing jurors to see the alleged murder weapon — a 3D-printed pistol — and the “manifesto” found inside Mangione’s backpack when he was arrested in Altoona, PA., following a five-day manhunt.Mangione has pleaded not guilty in parallel state and federal cases to charges of fatally shooting Thompson, a 50-year-old father-of-two, from close range on a Midtown sidewalk in December 2024.But his lawyers have been stalling on revealing if they’ll use a psychiatric defense at his trial — a legal gambit that, if successful, could reduce his time in prison or result in him being institutionalized.Carro did not explain why he blocked the public from accessing the June 3 pretrial hearing, but a New York State court system spokesperson hinted that a pending ruling in the case could shed light on the secrecy.The judge also refused to let journalists challenge his decision to keep the hearing hush hush — despite state legal precedent stating that he must provide a “specific” reason for doing so.Dozens of Mangione’s warped fans — who have praised him for highlighting the ills of the US healthcare system despite allegations that he executed the head of a major company in the process — have supported him at his past appearances.Three of his most bloodthirsty cheerleaders, who dubbed themselves the “Mangionistas,” were...