Luigi Mangione Wrote Back and This Is What I Have to Say
Why This Letter From Luigi Matters This 4th of July
On July 2, I received a notification that I had mail. To my surprise, it was a letter from Luigi Mangione. I hadn’t been expecting a response from him. I was a bit hesitant to get home because I didn’t know what to expect. To my astonishment, the envelope was already opened, which felt strange to me, since the people I know who’ve received responses all got theirs completely sealed. I know this is a high-profile case, and that’s possibly the reason that it arrived opened, but I am adding this to the record for the sake of transparency.
I sat there and stared at the envelope for a minute until I finally opened it. As many of you know, Mangione turned 27 on May 6, and wrote 27 Things I’m Grateful For. What’s peculiar about these letters is that it seems he sent 81 copies to 81 people, and the 27th item is different in each one. Even though I’d already read the ones that have been shared online by his supporters, I read the one that was sent to me like I hadn’t read it before. And when I got to number (27), Mangione had written: libertad, which means freedom.
I knew right then that it was my responsibility to share this today, on the 4th of July, for Luigi Mangione. For that reason, I’m sharing the timeline from the Motion to Preclude the Government from Seeking the Death Penalty, and I hope it helps demonstrate how Mangione’s rights have been violated and how the Government has failed to follow standard legal procedures.
Monday, December 9, 2024: Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Friday, December 13, 2024: The undersigned counsel—Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo—visited with him for the first time in jail in Pennsylvania.
Monday, December 16, 2024: Counsel informed the Manhattan District Attorney that Mr. Mangione was waiving extradition to New York to be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney. It bears noting that the reason the District Attorney was seeking a waiver of extradition and that Mr. Mangione agreed to one was because there was no federal case on the horizon.
Mangione’s counsel made arrangements with the Manhattan District Attorney and New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro for Mr. Mangione to appear in New York Supreme Court, Part 32, on Thursday December 19, 2024, for arraignment on a First-Degree Murder Indictment returned in New York County.
December 19, 2024: The mother of all “perp walks,” attended by the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams. As we prepared for the Supreme Court arraignment, counsel was contacted by a newspaper reporter who asked, in substance, whether it was true that the “Feds were stealing the case?” Seemingly a shock to tall, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, it turned out to be true.
Rather that Mr. Mangione being brought to New York Supreme Court on December 19, 2024, he was brought to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for an initial appearance on a Complaint signed the previous day by the Magistrate Judge.
The Complaint charged four counts. Count Three, Murder Through Use of a Firearm, charges that Mr. Mangione used a firearm during the crime of Stalking and in the course of that crime committed Murder; this charge carries a maximum penalty of death.
Early January 2025: Prosecutors and counsel emailed about a meeting with the Capital Review Committee under the prior administration.
January 8, 2025: Prosecutors sent an email setting the time of this meeting on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 11: 45 AM, and further advised that the defense was free to make a written submission but one was not required.
Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 9:07 A.M: The defense emailed an eleven-page written submission to the Capital Case Section and the three S.D.N.Y. prosecutors detailing why the death penalty was inappropriate this case.
January 13, 2025: The defense made an oral presentation to members of the Capital Case Section and the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors.
January 24, 2025: Defense counsel spoke with the prosecutors, who said that there was no decision yet but that the decision was “imminent.”
Tuesday, February 4, 2025: Defense counsel spoke with the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors, who indicated that the Capital Review Committee (under previous administration) had not made a decision. During this and other calls, the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors informed counsel that the current administration had not yet assembled a functioning Capital Review Committee due to the recent change in administration. Also on February 4, 2024, the Court appointed Avraham “Avi” Moskowitz as learned counsel.
Thursday, February 6, 2025: Defense counsel emailed the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors that “if the Capital Crimes Section is unable to make a decision based on our first submission, we respectfully request 3 months in order to give us time to conduct a thorough mitigation investigation in order to submit additional information.”
March 12, 2025: Defense counsel spoke with the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors, who stated that a decision on the death penalty would be reached without waiting for the defense to submit mitigating factors.
April 1, 2025: The Attorney General issued a press release directing the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
It’s clear. Mangione’s counsel asked for three months to prepare a mitigation investigation to the Department of Justice’s Capital Committee and was ignored. This timeline reflects a violation of Mangione’s constitutional right to due process, the presumption of innocence, and the Government’s violation of the death penalty protocol.
This is just a small window into what’s happening in Mangione’s case and why I felt important to share my own (27) with you. I hope that this fragment of Luigi Mangione resonates with many, and reminds you what the 4th of July should really be about: people, justice, due process, free speech, and freedom.
This post is coming to an end, but I want to say how humbled I am by his response and that I’ll continue to advocate for his right to a fair trial.
Wherever you are this 4th of July, think of Luigi Mangione. Keep fighting for due process, for him and for all of us.
Veritas Numquam Perit
Truth Never Perishes
I stand with Luigi ! I’ve witnessed the death and destruction United Health Care and others have done. Hoping for jury nullification. Or one juror that says not guilty. Stay strong young man, we see you.
The DoJ needs to give the case back to the state of NY.