Donations to Luigi Mangione's legal defense fund slowed, then surged

Donations to Luigi Mangione's legal defense fund have picked up after a news report that they had slowed down.

Mangione's online fund has received over $248,000 in donations to help defend him against state and federal charges in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Newsweek reported Tuesday that contributions had slowed to a trickle.

In response, Mangione's lead defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said, "Luigi is aware of the fund and very much appreciates the outpouring of support. My client plans on utilizing it to fight all three of the unprecedented cases against him."

The item and the lawyer's comment prompted a series of Reddit posts that appeared to spark renewed interest in Mangione's case and donations to his fund.

His legal team just added a court-appointed death penalty expert, Avi Markowitz.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges.

He has not yet entered a plea to federal charges, one of which could result in the death penalty if there's a conviction.