Luigi Mangione trial to be heard by anonymous jury as graduate, 26, faces murder charge next month
The jury in Luigi Mangione's murder trial next month on charges of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk will be anonymous, the judge overseeing the case said at a hearing on Tuesday.
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New York state Justice Gregory Carro did not explain why jurors would remain anonymous.
While not the norm in US criminal trials, judges often decide to shield jurors' identities from the public in high-profile cases where there is concern jurors may be subject to harassment or intimidation.
Mangione has been indicted on a federal murder charge for the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Mangione, 26, was also charged with two counts of stalking and a firearms count.
The Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family also faces separate state murder charges.
He is accused of shooting Mr Thompson, 50, in the back outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference.
Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi had sought the death penalty, but this was not forthcoming.
The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt leading to Mangione's arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings.
It also galvanised health insurance critics - some of whom have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the words "delay," "deny", and "depose" were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.