Paparazzi and protesters: CEO shooting suspect's unusual journey to New York City

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing a health insurance executive in broad daylight earlier this month, was cast in the public spotlight as he arrived in New York City Thursday donning a bright orange jumpsuit.

Mangione, 26, stepped off a helicopter, where he was met with dozens of heavily armed officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams after beginning the day in Pennsylvania. The Ivy League graduate was then transported and formally charged with federal murder and stalking crimes in a Manhattan courtroom, alongside state murder and terrorism charges previously announced by New York prosecutors.

The highly publicized escort has garnered mixed reactions on social media and rekindled the debate about staging so-called "perp walks." Experts told USA TODAY that the striking display was likely motivated by authorities attempting to make a statement.

"Obviously, the practice is highly controversial because it can be very prejudicial to see someone walking around with handcuffs behind their back and surrounded by a cadre of police officers, kind of insinuating that this person is already guilty, already highly dangerous," said Jorge Camacho, policy director for the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School, and a clinical lecturer on law.

After his arrest, Mangione has received a following online among some people expressing anger at what they view as greedy corporations and health care insurance companies. Whether the publicity of his appearance will fuel or stunt that sentiment remains to be seen, according to Camacho.

Swell of fanfare may have motivated staging, experts say

Robert Weisberg, a law professor at Stanford University and faculty co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, said the so-called "perp walk" has little to do with the legal system and is a part of American political theater. He added that it is often simpler, and safer, to transport defendants without parading them in public.

"This one looks particularly staged," Weisberg said, referring to the publicized appearance of Mangione's arrival in New York. "The orchestration of it is almost too transparent."

Following the swarm of internet fanfare after Mangione's arrest, the perp walk may have been a "well-intentioned effort to make him not look like a martyr," Weisberg said, adding that it could backfire by highlighting his image in the public sphere even further.

The FBI declined to comment. The mayor's office and NYPD did not immediately return USA TODAY's requests for comment.

Mayor makes unusual appearance in Mangione’s return to NYC

In a rare move, New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined officials in escorting Mangione, walking a few paces behind the suspect.

“This act of terrorism and the violence that stems from it is something that will not be tolerated in the city,” Adams told reporters after the escort, with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch beside him. “We wanted to personally be here to show the symbolism of leading from the front.”

Adams’ appearance comes as he and a former staffer face legal challenges. On Thursday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment of Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a former top aide to Adams, on bribery charges.

In September, Adams was indicted on unrelated federal corruption charges, which he denies. Weisberg told USA TODAY the mayor's intentions for the perp walk appear "pretty straightforward," given the legal difficulties.

"Mayor Adams needs good publicity, that's for sure," Weisberg said.

'Part of the kind of dramaturgy of American government'

Earlier in the day, a long line formed outside the Pennsylvania courthouse ahead of the initial morning hearings, some of whom gathered to express support for Mangione.

"We feel his anger, his frustration," said Andrea Aye, who noted she traveled to the courthouse from northern Ohio. "It has definitely woke people up. We hear him."

The demonstrations outside the courthouse are what one would expect in a big case, Weisberg said, noting the nation's long history of such rallies both for and against defendants.

"This is just part of the kind of dramaturgy of American government and American society in some ways," he added.

Contributing: John Bacon, Claire Thornton, and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Judy D.J. Ellich, Daily American

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luigi Mangione and his unusual journey to a New York City courthouse