Luigi Mangione Was Held in Plexiglass Cell to Avoid ‘Epstein-Style Situation’

Luigi Mangione was placed in a plexiglass cell following his arrest in Pennsylvania to avoid an “Epstein-style situation.”

The revelation, apparently referring to Jeffrey Epstein’s death by suicide in jail, was made by Tomas Rivers, a corrections officer at SCI Huntingdon in Pennsylvania., who testified at a pre-trial hearing for Mangione.

Following his arrest, Mangione was kept under “constant watch,” according to Rivers, who noted the facility rarely, if ever, saw such high-profile inmates and was told by his superintendent that an “Epstein-style situation” must be avoided.

Epstein was supposed to be under close supervision by guards in his Manhattan jail cell when he was found dead in August 2019, while under indictment on sex trafficking charges.

The 27-year-old, accused of fatally gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year, appeared in New York state court Monday, Dec. 1, wearing a slick blazer and collared shirt as he and his lawyers seek to exclude key evidence that prosecutors say establish his alleged guilt.

Mangione is charged with second-degree murder in New York State and faces a capital murder charge at the federal level.

The defense wants to exclude a 3D-printed gun recovered from a backpack Mangione was carrying when he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., five days after Thompson’s shooting, as well as a notebook found in the backpack containing a “manifesto” against the health insurance industry — and describing a desire to “wack” an insurance company CEO.

The defense claims that the gun and notebook were recovered in an illegal search by Altoona police, before a warrant was obtained. They also want statements Mangione made to authorities thrown out because he was allegedly not read his Miranda rights.

Mangione watched intently alongside his lawyers, and occasionally took notes, as video surveillance from the McDonald’s was played on Monday, showing his arrest — and listened to the 911 call from the restaurant manager who said he was recognized by customers by his distinct eyebrows.

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The so-called Mapp and Huntley pretrial hearings are expected to last all week, with both the prosecution and defense calling several witnesses.

Those called to the stand Monday included an officer in the NYPD’s public affairs unit, an electronics salesman who processed surveillance footage from the McDonald’s for police, and a 911 operator from Blair County, Pa.

Lawyers and reporters were joined in the courtroom by two dozen members of the public, many of them part of Mangione’s devoted legion of fans.