(NEW YORK) — The jurors in accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione‘s state murder trial will be kept anonymous over concerns that they may be subject to “harassment, intimidation, or improper outside influence” if their identifying information is publicly released, according to the judge.
Judge Gregory Carro said Tuesday that only prosecutors and defense lawyers will have access to the jurors’ names and addresses.
Jury selection starts on Sept. 8.
Carro justified his decision in part by noting that individuals identifying themselves as Mangione’s supporters have “engaged in inflammatory and hostile public statements outside the courthouse and announced their intention to attend jury selection to attempt to speak to prospective jurors.”
“Given the extraordinary public attention and the documented instances of threatening or hostile behavior by individuals outside the courthouse, the court finds that disclosure of juror names to the public poses an unjustifiable risk of interference with the administration of justice,” Carro wrote in an order. “Restricting public disclosure of juror names while making the names available to the parties and counsel is an appropriate and necessary safeguard.”
Defense lawyers opposed withholding the names of jurors, arguing that prosecutors failed to demonstrate an “actual threat to the safety or integrity of the jury” and alleged that the concerns raised by prosecutors were “speculative” and “hypothetical.”
“They have identified no specific facts demonstrating that any actual, existing threat to the safety or integrity of the jury presently exists,” Mangione’s lawyers wrote.
Carro disagreed, writing that prosecutors have demonstrated that individuals related to the case have been subject to threats and harassment.
“The court finds that these circumstances create a realistic and substantial risk that prospective and sworn jurors could be subject to harassment, intimidation, or improper outside influence, and that disclosure of their identifying information would meaningfully increase that risk,” Carro wrote.
Prosecutors allege Mangione gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an assassination-style killing on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in separate state and federal cases, and faces the possibility of life in prison if he’s convicted in his state murder case.
Carro’s written order came hours after Mangione appeared in a packed courtroom for a pretrial conference, possibly the last time the accused killer will be seen in public before jury selection begins.
The last two rows of the courtroom were filled with about 20 Mangione supporters, some wearing shirts declaring his innocence or calling for expanded courtroom access.
At the hearing, Carro shot down the defense’s claims that access to the trial was limited or that prosecutors were involved in dictating the coverage plans.
He said this was not the court’s “first rodeo” when it comes to high-profile cases.
“There has never been a discussion or decision by this court to exclude the public for these proceedings, and quite the opposite is true,” the judge said, adding that there will be an overflow room for the trial.
Carro noted that more than 80 media organizations have signaled plans to cover the trial.
“There will be less room for the public because of that, but there will be room for the public,” he said.
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