Luigi Mangione Was Concerned About McDonald’s Worker Who Called Police on Him: ‘Wouldn’t Be Good for Her’ if ID Got Out

Attorneys for Luigi Mangione claim he expressed concern for the McDonald’s employee who alerted police to his location, leading to his arrest.

Mangione was detained at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., days after authorities allege he gunned UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December. He was subsequently charged with murder and terrorism in both New York and federal court.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to the state charges and has not yet entered a plea in federal court.

In a letter to the judge overseeing his state case obtained by PEOPLE, Mangione’s attorneys wrote that, following his arrest in December, their client said he was sorry for the employee who apparently recognized him and called 911.

“I apologize for the inconvenience of the day,” Mangione’s attorneys claim he said. “They aren’t going to put the cashier from McDonald’s information out there are they? It wouldn’t be good for her. A lot of people will be upset I was arrested.”

The letter was sent to refute prosecutors’ claims that Mangione’s conduct had led to harassment and death threats against potential witnesses.

“This is the very opposite of someone who is seeking to terrorize anyone or wishing harm or violence to anyone,” Mangione’s lawyers wrote, referencing his apology.

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Mangione, who remains behind bars in federal custody as he awaits trial, has received a significant, controversial swell of support since he was named the suspect in the shooting of Thompson, with many expressing discontent with the health insurance industry.

In a response to a defense motion requesting a jail laptop for Mangione to review evidence, prosecutors wrote that someone tried to sneak a note of support to the suspect hidden in a pair of socks.

The note’s author wanted Mangione to “know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” according to the filing from New York City prosecutors obtained by PEOPLE.