The suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione is likely spending his Christmas on psychiatric drugs in a New York City jail while eating cheese crackers, a prison expert recently claimed.
Mangione, who pleaded not guilty on Monday to the murder of Brian Thompson, has been locked up in Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center along with high-profile inmates like Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Larry Levine – president and founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants and who spent ten years in the prison system himself – told the American sun that Mangione will soon be on a steady diet of antipsychotic drugs.
‘[Diddy] can handle his shit. I just know [Mangione] is fucking scared, and now they’re probably trying to force-feed him,” Levine said. ‘They’re going to offer him psychiatric medication. He’ll be a fucking zombie. That’s a given.’
As for what food the 26-year-old Mangione will actually eat, Levine said: “He can have cheese crackers and maybe a bottle or a plastic bottle of soda.”
‘He’ll buy a honey bun. It’s like all knock-offs. They don’t sell the real stuff at the FBI,” Levine added.
Levine also said Mangione will likely not stay in the MDC’s Special Housing Unit, known as the SHU, for at least the next two weeks. Diddy is in the SHU and is reportedly refusing meals, according to prison sources.
‘[Luigi’s] the mind is a little confused. He never thought he would join the FBI,” Levine said. ‘He is getting used to his new environment. His lawyers thank God he is in New York, and they do not have to travel to Pennsylvania to visit him.”
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is seen in Manhattan Supreme Court for his hearing on December 23.
Mangione is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. This facility also houses Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Levine said DailyMail.com inmates normally receive a “Christmas or holiday bag” containing treats such as cookies, chips and candy. However, over the years the goodie bag has become smaller.
“It’s plastic and it almost looks like a big pillow, and over the years it has shrunk,” Levine said of the holiday prison bag.
“It’s a bunch of crap that was probably bought because it was outdated, because the prison system sells you outdated stuff. And they try to pretend that they are doing the prisoners a favor.”
Larry Levine, the president and founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants
Levine said that because trials often move more slowly during the holidays and inmates are not transported back and forth to court from MDC, many often end up sitting in their small cells depressed and angry.
“Prosecutors are on vacation,” Levine said. ‘Judges are on holiday. Your lawyer, they’re spending time with their families. They don’t want to talk to you anyway. So you’re just isolated there and in a regular institution on holiday.’
Levine added that some inmates might receive visits from family, but that could ultimately create more tension.
“So many people come to visit that they have to limit the time in the visiting room,” said the prison expert.
“So that two-hour visit you normally get might only last 30 minutes.
‘This causes a lot of tension among prisoners, with I have seen more fights break out between prisoners over the holidays than ever before.
‘And I’m talking about my 10 years of experience in 11 different places – holidays are the worst!’
Mangione is pictured walking on December 19 after being taken to Manhattan by helicopter. He is surrounded by heavily armed NYPD officers and Mayor Eric Adams
During his arraignment hearing, Mangione’s attorney, Karen Agnifilo, blasted the perpetrator’s move as “unconstitutional” and questioned why Adams was present.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week formally charged Mangione with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.
His first appearance in New York state court was prevented by federal prosecutors who filed their own charges in Thompson’s shooting.
Mangione shuffled into the New York Supreme Court in chains Monday morning, wearing a collared shirt, a maroon sweater and orange shoes.
He was shackled and seated when he leaned toward a microphone to deliver his plea. He was then seen folding some papers before being escorted out of the courtroom.
His lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo urged the judge to ensure her client receives a fair trial as she warned that Mangione is being biased by statements made by government officials.
She added that he was being used as “political fodder” by the “warring” jurisdictions involved in the case, while labeling the ostentatious perp walk he was subjected to as “unconstitutional.”
Protesters showed up outside a Pennsylvania courthouse on December 19 in support of Mangione
Agnifilo also took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, questioning why he was present at both a press conference on the case and at the perpetrator’s hallway.
DailyMail.com reported on Tuesday that Mangione has finally been made aware that some members of the public adore or even lust after him. He was shown articles reporting on the enormous fixation people have on him.
Mangione has captivated the nation following Thompson’s murder, with religious-themed memes, merchandise and candles glorifying him popping up all over the internet.
A source close to Mangione said he is “very aware of the huge fan base he currently has.” He was “shocked and truly suffocated” when he first saw the support he received, which gave him “confidence and reassurance that he will be okay.”