Inmates at the prison where Luigi Mangione is being held have voiced their support for him in a bizarre fashion during a live ‘interview’ conducted through the prison walls.
News anchors for US outlet Newsnation conducted a report outside the walls of the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, where Mangione is being held in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione is currently fighting extradition to New York, where he is wanted for murder, with his legal team seeking to have him tried in Pennsylvania, where he has been charged with four counts including possession of a firearm and a fake ID.
Newsnation anchor Alex Caprariello attempted to broadcast a segment about Mangione’s conditions within the prison, but when inmates watching the news saw themselves on TV they were quick to answer the questions themselves.
‘Luigi’s conditions suck,’ inmates shouted at Caprariello through the prison walls.’Free Luigi.’ They also said Mangione doesn’t have a television in his cell, and expressed their desire for him to waive his extradition challenge.
Mangione has a cell to himself and is kept away from other inmates while he awaits trial. If his extradition is successful, he could be sent to New York’s infamous Rikers Island prison if convicted.
Gene Borrello, a former organized crime associate who spent 13 years behind bars, described the New York prison as the ‘most dangerous in America.’
‘You have to watch your back every day,’ he told the outlet.‘There’s no structure. It’s just complete chaos. … It’s nonstop stabbings and gang violence where the cops are scared to come to work. It’s a place you want to avoid.’
On Wednesday, law enforcement officials said that the gun that Mangione possessed had fingerprints matching the shell casings found at the scene of the December 4 shooting outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
Additionally, matching fingerprints were detected on a water bottle and an energy bar wrapper found near the site. The gunman is believed to have purchased protein bars and bottle of water from a Starbucks nearby.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg believes authorities will succeed in extraditing Mangione to New York.
‘We will get the defendant here and bring him to justice through our court proceeding,’ Bragg told ABC News on Wednesday.
‘As we learn more about motives and other things like that… there may be additional charges.”
On Tuesday afternoon wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, Mangione, 26, shouted and struggled with police officers who led him to the Blair County Courthouse.
One photo showed two cops restraining Mangione against a brick wall as he looked to the right and opened his mouth.
Mangione’s shouted words were somewhat unintelligible but referenced an ‘insult to the intelligence of the American people’.
Authorities released Mangione’s latest mugshot in which he wore the orange uniform and looked straight ahead with a blank expression.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she is working with the District Attorney’s Office to issue a governor’s warrant ‘to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable’ in the Empire State.
‘Public safety is my top priority and I’ll do everything in my power to keep the streets of New York safe,’ she stated.
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