OJ Simpson lawyer Alan Dershowitz reveals how he’d defend Luigi Mangione if given the chance

The People of the State of California v. O.J. Simpson case is nowadays colloquially referred to as the trial of the century. The drama, the fame, the twists and turns — that case had it all. There have been a few rivals since then, but none have been as controversial or aisle-splitting. Luigi Mangione might just have peaked it.

Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard Law professor best known for defending O.J. Simpson, has now shared a few thoughts with The Hill on the options available to Luigi Mangione’s lawyer. Despite Mangione’s lead attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, officially opening the case with a not-guilty plea, Dershowitz has already rained on that particular parade. According to Dershowitz, that path has a very low ceiling. He points to Mangione’s manifesto as the smoking gun. In his op-ed, Dershowitz states, “The Mangione case is not comparable to O.J.’s, because his manifesto virtually admits to having committed the crime.”

Dershowitz has a point. Even in O.J. Simpson’s apparent suicide letter, written before his infamous escape in a Ford Bronco on the I-5 Freeway, he began by claiming he had nothing to do with his ex-wife’s murder. Mangione’s manifesto, on the other hand, explicitly states to the FBI that he worked alone, intending to save them from a lengthy investigation. From a prosecutor’s perspective, that’s as close to an admission of guilt as it gets.

Dershowitz, however, ponders the possibility of Mangione’s legal team challenging the admissibility of the document in court. Even if they somehow succeed, the veteran criminal lawyer — with over 30 murder cases under his belt — assures that the prosecution still has ample evidence for a guilty verdict. With police recently releasing a report that they’ve found Mangione’s fingerprints at the crime scene, it’s hard to argue with Dershowitz’s assessment.

Another aspect Dershowitz considers important is whether Mangione’s legal team will approach the case from a federal or state level. He suggests state-level litigation might favor Mangione, as it doesn’t have the death penalty and offers the possibility of televised court proceedings. It’s no secret how much the public favors Mangione. In the eyes of some, Mangione is simply fighting against an unfair system. Whether his methods were drastic or he’s even guilty, some people simply hope, for once, that the “system” pays, instead of them.

In many ways, this case mirrors what O.J. Simpson’s case meant to his supporters. In fact, Sky News reports that as Mangione stood in court pleading “not guilty,” protestors braved the cold outside, holding placards in his support.

According to Dershowitz, the only way Mangione might escape a life or death sentence is if the jury can be convinced he was not of sound mind, which led him from being a top student to a cold-blooded killer. The fact that Mangione was pictured smiling after entering his not-guilty plea might, ironically, serve as evidence to support that claim.

It’s worth remembering that during O.J. Simpson’s trial, no one thought he stood a chance of winning. Whether history will repeat itself with Mangione remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: We’ll be here to update you with every single development.