Anamika Dey, editor
Brief news
- Luigi Mangione, 26, was indicted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, facing charges including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and weapon possession.
- Mangione allegedly shot Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, using a modified handgun, and has been linked to social media glorification of the act.
- He is currently detained in Pennsylvania, with extradition to New York anticipated, where he could face life imprisonment if convicted.
Detailed news
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday that Luigi Mangione was indicted by a New York grand jury on charges of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 26, is accused of one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is classified as slaying as an act of terrorism.
In addition, he is accused of possessing a forged New Jersey driver’s license, a single count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the Manhattan Supreme Court indictment.
It is anticipated that New York Governor Kathy Hochul will submit documents to request Mangione’s extradition from Pennsylvania, where he has been detained since his arrest at a McDonald’s last week.
Mangione intends to renounce extradition, according to a source who spoke with NBC News on Tuesday. This would enable him to be transported to New York within a matter of days.
Mangione, a prominent Baltimore-area family member and a double University of Pennsylvania graduate, is at risk of a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
On December 4, he is accused of fatally shooting Thompson with a 9 mm handgun that was modified with a silencer outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, stated at a news conference to announce the 11-count indictment, “This was a killing intended to evoke terror.” “This was not a typical murder; it was extraordinary.”
Bragg described the murder as “brazen” and “targeted.”
The DA stated that Mangione arrived in New York City on a bus at the Port Authority terminal on Nov. 24 with the intention of murdering Thompson. He subsequently stayed at a hostel on the Upper West Side under the name “Mark Rosario” and a false ID.
Mangione departed the hostel at just after 5:30 a.m. on December 4 and proceeded to midtown. He waited for Thompson to emerge from the Hilton for approximately six minutes before crossing the street, drawing a handgun, and fire, striking the CEO once in the back and once in the leg, according to Bragg.
Mangione subsequently fled on an e-bike and subsequently a taxi, which transported him to Washington Heights in upper Manhattan.
Additionally, he stated that “we have indications” that Mangione will forego his right to an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday and consent to being sent to New York to face the murder prosecution.
Jessica Tisch, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, stated that in the nearly two weeks since Thompson’s murder, “we have witnessed a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder.”
Tisch was alluding to the fact that Mangione has become a folk hero to certain individuals who lauded Thompson’s assassination in response to criticism that his company, the largest private health insurer in the United States, denied benefit claims by customers at a high rate.
“This cowardly attack has been met with widespread praise on social media.” Tisch stated, “People ghoulishly affixed posters to the walls that threatened the CEOs and other CEOs, with a ‘x’ over Mr. Thompson’s image, as if he were some form of sick trophy.”
“These are the threats posed by a lawless, violent mob that would exchange their vigilantism for the rule of law that safeguards us all…”
“I would like to be clear: Mangione’s actions were not heroic,” the commissioner stated. “This was an act of violence that was completely senseless.” The crime was dispassionate and calculated, resulting in the loss of a life and the vulnerability of New Yorkers. We do not commemorate murders, and we do not glorify the slaying of any individual.
The UnitedHealth Group stated in a statement to CNBC, “This is a significant advancement in the pursuit of justice in the murder of our colleague, Brian Thompson.” We will collaborate with law enforcement officials to support Brian’s family, friends, and colleagues in their efforts to achieve closure.
Thompson, 50, was en route to the hotel for an investor day event hosted by his company’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group.
Mangione was apprehended on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after police responded to a report of a suspicious individual at the establishment.
It is alleged that he presented officers with a fictitious New Jersey identification card, which is believed to be the same one he used to register for a Manhattan hostel in late November.
In his backpack, law enforcement discovered a 9 mm ammunition, a silencer, and a pistol. Police reported that the gun was consistent with three shell casings discovered outside the shooting scene in Manhattan, and Mangione’s fingerprints were located on a water bottle and snack bar that were left near the scene.
The DA’s office reported that the cartridge casings discovered at the scene bore the words “deny” and “depose,” while an unfired bullet bore the word “delay.” The terminology is consistent with that employed to characterize the strategies employed by health insurers and other insurance companies to deny customer claims.
In Manhattan, prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Mangione hours after his detention, accusing him of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a silencer, and possession of a forged instrument.
The complaint is superseded by the grand jury indictment that was delivered on Tuesday.
Mangione, who is currently being held in a Pennsylvania prison without bail on accusations of forgery and gun possession, is scheduled to appear in Blair County Court for two distinct hearings on Thursday morning.
There will be a preliminary hearing on the state criminal allegations during the initial session. Extradition proceedings will be addressed during the subsequent hearing, which will be presided over by a distinct judge.
On Friday, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, his criminal defense lawyer from New York, and her spouse and law partner, Marc Agnifilo, visited Mangione in the Huntingdon prison.
