Luigi Mangione's online defense fund surpasses $1 million
An online legal defense fund for alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione has surpassed $1 million as he prepares to return to court next month.
The fund reached the million-dollar mark on Tuesday, which coincided with Mangione's 27th birthday.
Mangione is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where his legal team said he "receives anywhere from 10 to 115 letters per day."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hasn't specifically addressed the defense fund, but he spoke out against the online support for Mangione in general in an interview with ABC News in December.
"Celebrating murder is abhorrent," Bragg said at the time. "I sit across the table from families who've had a loved one killed. And to think of people celebrating that ... is beyond comprehension to me."
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in connection with the assassination-style murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December.
Mangione is due back in court on June 26 for the state charges. Defense attorneys have asked to either dismiss or delay the state case in favor of the federal case.
If convicted of the federal charges, Mangione could be sentenced to death. Mangione is next due in federal court on Dec. 5.
