Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Manhattan sidewalk, appeared in court for a status hearing on Friday in New York City.

The defendant wore a bulletproof vest and shackles. A woman in the crowd wore a “Free Luigi" scarf. Outside, throngs of people cheered and chanted his name. So it went Friday at a court hearing for Luigi Mangione,

Mangione's supporters started lining up outside the courthouse around 4 a.m., hoping to get a seat for his afternoon pre-trial hearing.