By Emma Tucker, Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell and Zoe Sottile

New York City (CNN) — Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last year, appeared for a largely procedural court hearing Friday amid a groundswell of support from fans who braved the harsh New York City cold and lined up for hours outside the courtroom, some bedecked in “Free Luigi” apparel.

One attendee told CNN she’d arrived at the courthouse at 5 a.m. ET, hoping to witness the brief court proceedings in person. Others waved signs reading “Free Luigi” and “Healthcare is a Human Right.” Posters of the leaders of other major health care corporations appeared nearby the court, with the word “WANTED” emblazoned above a picture of each executive.

Mangione arrived with his hands and ankles shackled, wearing a bulletproof vest over a green sweater – matching many of his supporters in and outside the courtroom, who also wore green. Judge Gregory Carro denied a request from one of Mangione’s attorneys to remove the shackles.

The 26-year-old has pleaded not guilty to state charges but has yet to enter a plea on federal murder charges related to the killing of Brian Thompson as the executive walked toward the hotel hosting UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference in Midtown Manhattan on December 4.

Friday’s hearing attracted dozens of supporters and observers – a reflection of public fascination with the killing and Mangione himself. One of Mangione’s attorneys, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, was greeted with applause and cheers when she arrived at the courthouse.

Here’s more on what happened at the brief – but well-attended – hearing.

Hearing details

Friday’s hearing was the latest update in Mangione’s New York state case. He also faces federal charges and state charges in Pennsylvania over what authorities say was his role in Thompson’s death.

In New York, he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on 11 counts, including one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, along with other weapon and forgery charges.

The first-degree murder charge alleges he killed the executive “in furtherance of an act of terrorism,” which is legally defined as an intent to intimidate or coerce the civilian population or a government unit. One of the second-degree counts also alleges Mangione committed murder “as a crime of terrorism.”

He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, according to the Manhattan district attorney.

At the Friday hearing – which took place in the same courtroom where President Donald Trump faced criminal trial in a hush money case last year – prosecutors reviewed the evidence they say they’ve turned over to the defense. The evidence includes police body camera footage, police reports, surveillance videos, data from a cell phone dropped at the scene of the crime, autopsy reports, the medical examiners’ forensic files and forensic DNA testing materials. More materials still need to be turned over to Mangione’s legal team, prosecutors said.

Additionally, Judge Carro scheduled Mangione’s next hearing for June 26 and set a schedule for his legal team to submit motions, despite objections from his defense.

Agnifilo said she’s primarily focused on ongoing talks with federal prosecutors who haven’t decided whether to seek the death penalty and she wants access to all discovery materials before she submits motions. She claimed that in an HBO documentary, New York City Mayor Eric Adams had discussed evidence that hadn’t been given to the defense.

“There are three separate prosecutions that are happening about one event,” said Agnifilo, referring to the federal, New York state and Pennsylvania charges against her client.

She also said she believes Mangione’s constitutional rights were violated when officers seized his belongings during his arrest in Pennsylvania. She plans to challenge some of the evidence taken by law enforcement at the time. “I think there is a very, very serious search issue in this material,” she said. “There might be evidence that might be suppressed in this case.”

The defense attorney also complained she has limited access to Mangione, who is being held in a federal detention center in Brooklyn while he awaits trial.

‘Free Luigi’

The commotion around Friday’s hearing mirrors the sympathy and support Mangione has garnered from a portion of the population since he was identified as a suspect in the shooting.

There were “Free Luigi” scarves and “Free Luigi” sweaters. There were chants of “Health care is a human right” and other slogans that pointed to the way Mangione’s case has become an outlet for larger frustrations with America’s health care industry.

Inside the courthouse, would-be attendees – many of them young women – packed the hallway, hoping to snag one of the courtroom seats open to the public. Chelsea Manning, the former United States Army soldier and whistleblower convicted of violating the Espionage Act after leaking documents to WikiLeaks, was spotted among the attendees.

The day before the hearing, an image of Mangione’s likeness was projected on the side of a New York City building accompanied by the words, “Free Luigi.” The anonymous group responsible for the projection told CNN it created the display to emphasize Luigi Mangione’s right to a fair trial—something every citizen deserves, regardless of public perception or political maneuvering.”

Prosecutors have said Mangione expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.

In the days after Thompson’s killing, stories about denied insurance claims and their disastrous effects on patients flooded social media.

After he was identified as a suspect, the former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate received widespread support, including offers to help pay for his legal bills and extended applause at the mention of his name in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch.

Mangione’s acclaim also drew criticism from politicians and lawmakers. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said shortly after his arrest that Mangione was “no hero.”

“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” Shapiro said following Mangione’s first court appearance.

Mangione’s statement

Mangione released his first statement from prison last week on a new website created and linked to by his attorneys at the law firm Agnifilo Intrater.

“I am overwhelmed by – and grateful for – everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” reads the statement from Mangione.

“Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe. While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive,” the statement continues.

The website was created to help keep the public informed on his New York case updates, it says.

Weeklong manhunt

Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania, following a weeklong manhunt for Thompson’s alleged killer that saw police officers combing New York’s Central Park for clues and distributing photos that they said showed the suspect, his face partially obscured by a mask, traveling throughout the city.

Surveillance footage had captured someone taking a gun and fatally shooting Thompson before fleeing the scene on a bicycle.

The search came to an end when a customer and a worker at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s reported Mangione to the police.

When Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania, investigators allegedly found on him the fake ID used by the suspect, the gun they believe was used in the shooting and a handwritten “claim of responsibility,” authorities have said.

Mangione was initially taken into federal custody, but officials have since said his state trial will proceed first.

A charge of murder in the first degree is rare in New York because it requires special elements related to the crime to be charged.

Under state law, murder in the first degree only applies to a narrow list of aggravating circumstances, including when the victim is a judge, a police officer or a first responder, or when the killing involves a murder-for-hire or an intent to commit terrorism.

“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in December.

Federal case

The federal criminal complaint charges Mangione with murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms offense. His next court hearing for the federal charges is scheduled for March 19, according to his attorneys.

Writings laid bare in a notebook found in Mangione’s possession, authorities said, helped investigators build the federal case against him, a well-planned homicide involving stalking the movements of his alleged victim.

An entry dated August 15, reads: “The details are finally coming together,” according to the federal complaint unsealed in December. “I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated,” Mangione allegedly wrote, saying it gave him time to learn more about the company he was targeting, whose name was redacted by prosecutors.

Though prosecutors have not yet indicated they plan to seek it, Mangione could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge. The decision would ultimately need to be approved by the US Attorney General.

Earlier this month, Mangione beefed up his legal team by adding Avraham Moskowitz, an attorney experienced in death penalty cases. Moskowitz has represented more than 50 defendants charged in death penalty-eligible cases in New York, according to court filings and Mangione’s attorneys.

The private practice attorney will work as a specialist with Mangione’s lead attorney Agnifilo. “The charges could not be more serious and our client needs every resource at his disposal to fight these unprecedented charges in three jurisdictions,” a spokeswoman for the law firm Agnifilo Intrater said in a statement.

Moskowitz was recommended by the Federal Defenders of New York to join as “learned counsel,” or an attorney with deep experience in this highly specialized area of law – a common practice in death-penalty eligible cases.

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