A court hearing in the case of Luigi Mangione, accused of killing healthcare executive Brian Thompson, was held in secret on Wednesday after Judge Gregory Carro sealed the proceedings at the defense's request, overriding objections from the media.
The virtual conference was scheduled publicly at Mangione's last court appearance, but less than 24 hours before it was due to start, New York state courts administrators announced it would be sealed. This left media outlets and their legal representatives with insufficient time to challenge the decision.
Attorneys for several media organizations filed letters requesting the opportunity to address the sealing, a common practice in state and federal courts. However, Judge Carro did not hear these objections before or during the proceeding, which began at approximately 9:30 AM with Carro taking the bench around 10:30 AM.
After the hearing, Carro stated, “At the request of the defense, that proceeding is sealed at the moment and we have adjourned the case to June 16 and it’s a physical appearance and you’re all invited to be here.” He provided no explanation for the sealing and did not allow the press to address the court before moving on to the next case.
Mangione faces both state and federal trials for the murder of Thompson, which sparked a manhunt and public outrage over the US healthcare industry. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases, with the state trial scheduled for September 8.
