New York, New York - Luigi Mangione has reportedly been kept under strict observation in prison while awaiting his trial for the alleged murder of a healthcare CEO, with prison officials eager to avoid "an Epstein-style situation."

The revelation came from a corrections officer who testified to a Manhattan state court on Monday during a hearing weighing the legality of evidence collected during Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's restaurant.

Officer Tomas Rivers, a British army veteran who's now serving as a prison guard, was cited by the Guardian as saying that Mangione was being held in lockup at Huntingdon Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania last December "to ensure his security."

"I was told that the Secretary of the Department of Corrections requested the move from Blair county jail to SCI Huntingdon because Huntingdon has increased security capabilities," Rivers testified.

He clarified that such observation is used to protect someone who is considered a threat to themselves, and to create "a paper trail of their behaviors and movements."

In 2019, notorious sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his New York cell while awaiting trial for further sex-trafficking offenses.

Rivers also said he had struck up many conversations with Mangione and discussed everything from travel to literature.

Mangione stands accused of assassinating United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

In September, a judge threw out two terrorism-related charges due to insufficient evidence.