Luigi Mangione, the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, hired Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him in a New York courtroom as he faces charges for second degree murder.
Agnifilo is a well-known attorney who spent more than twenty years working in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in roles ranging from chief assistant district attorney to chief of its trial division and deputy chief of the sex crimes unit.
“She knows every corridor, every judge, every clerk in the courthouse,” a New York prosecutor told CNN.
Experts believe her insider knowledge of the city’s legal system as a top prosecutor will help her navigate a defensive strategy for Mangione, who law enforcement has linked to the crime scene where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in Midtown Manhattan.
Investigators say the gun found on Mangione during his arrest in Pennsylvania matches the shell casings found outside of the Hilton Hotel where the murder took place. Police also matched his fingerprints with DNA on items near the location.
Authorities are still working to acquire a warrant issued from Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to extradite Mangione, who is being held without bail in Pennsylvania, to New York.
Agnifilo, who obtained a law degree from Georgetown Law and previously served as a legal analyst for CNN and hit TV show Law and Order, will use her experience to represent Mangione in one of the year’s most high-profile cases.
"Karen Friedman Agnifilo has a three-decade background in criminal justice, litigation, and trials," says her bio for the Agnifilo Intrater LLP law firm.
"Her practice focuses on criminal defense in state and federal courts, leveraging her extensive experience prosecuting serious violent crimes, including complex homicide cases, from accusation to investigation to arrest and trial."
It also details the creation of several departments under her leadership at the Manhattan DA's office, one of which includes the identity theft bureau.
Mangione was in possession of a fraudulent ID when he was arrested in Pennsylvania. The false documentation could be presented at trial during legal proceedings relating to the shooting and his swift departure from New York.
Agnifilo will address his actions amid requests for interviews, exclusives and analysis after weeks of media attention drew eyes to the case.
However, widespread coverage is no strange circumstance for her current law firm which also picked up Sean Diddy Combs as a client amid his sex trafficking and racketeering charges a few months ago.
