Who is Thomas Dickey? The Pennsylvania trial lawyer representing CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione
Thomas Dickey was brought onto the case the day after Luigi Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s and charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson
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Luigi Mangione’s lawyer is a seasoned trial attorney based in Pennsylvania with more than 40 years of experience.
Thomas Dickey was brought onto the case on Tuesday, one day after his client was arrested in a McDonald’s in the town of Altoona. The 26-year-old now faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by New York prosecutors who are seeking his extradition to the state.
Dickey said he expects his client will plead not guilty.
The lawyer, who claims to be “one of the few death-penalty qualified attorneys” in Pennsylvania, said on Tuesday night that it was “concerning” his client had been denied bail at an extradition hearing at Blair County courthouse earlier in the day.
Mangione was hauled into court by police after making an angry outburst outside, which Dickey said he “didn’t hear” as he was already inside the building.
In a PR blitz, the attorney appeared on a number of prominent news shows on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning to remind the American people: “Innocent until proven guilty.”
And he maintained that hasn’t “seen any evidence” that his client is the shooter. “I have not been made aware of any evidence that links the gun that was found on his person to the crime. These are things we’re looking to see,” Dickey told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday morning.
When Stephanopoulos stated that the gun “kind of looks exactly the same to the one that was used” by the gunman who killed Thompson, Dickey replied: “A lot of guns look the same.”
However, law enforcement officials have since shared that the gun discovered on the suspect matches shell casings found at the crime scene, in addition to a match on Mangione’s fingerprints.
“We got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania... we were able to match that gun to the three shell casings found in Midtown at the scene of the homicide,” New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“We were also able to match the person of interest’s fingerprints with fingerprints that we found on both the water bottle and the Kind bar near the scene of the homicide in Midtown.”
The Independent has contacted Mangione’s lawyer for further comment.
Dickey, who has been on the case for less than 48 hours, previously confirmed he has been retained to represent Mangione, but refused to disclose who is paying his fee amid speculation.
The attorney is described as a lifetime resident of Blair County and a graduate of Altoona High School.
He obtained his law degree from Ohio Northern University and then joined the Blair County Public Defenders Office, according to his profile on his law firm’s website.
In 1984 he opened a private practice and has defended clients charged with DUIs to first-degree murder and has also taken on death-penalty cases.
“Dickey believes in the Constitution and the blueprint it gives for being a citizen in this great country,” his profile says.
On Tuesday night, that was a point he was eager to bring home in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins. “I try to remind people, and it’s a shame that we forget about this presumption of innocence that the Consitution gives all Americans,” Dickey said.
“And people don’t worry about the Constitution until they’re facing charges or accusations against them.”
Since stepping in to defend the Ivy League-educated suspect, Dickey confirmed his office has received offers from the public to pay Mangione’s legal fees.
“I have received some emails. I have not seen them personally, but my understanding from my staff is people are doing that,” Dickey said.
However, the lawyer said it “doesn’t sit right” with him and he wouldn’t accept any donations.
Collins then pressed Dickey to speculate why the American people would offer to help. “The Supreme Court says all these rich billionaires can give all kinds of money to candidates and that’s free speech,” he said.
“So maybe these people were exercising their right to free speech and saying that’s the way they are supporting my client,” Dickey quipped.
He was referring to the Supreme Court decision in 2010 that ruled political donations from corporations should be considered as political speech.
Dickey wouldn’t say that the authorities in New York have the wrong man in custody but claimed: “I haven’t seen any evidence that they have the right guy. I can tell you that much…There’s, you know, identification issues that are present.”
The lawyer said he hopes to get his “hands on” other evidence, including the 262-word so-called manifesto which was allegedly written by Mangione.
“Today’s another day. We’re looking forward to beginning our inquiry as to what evidence may or may not be out there.”
What is still unclear is whether Dickey will be able to defend Mangione in New York.
The lawyer said it was “a possibility.”