The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday that Luigi Mangionewas was indicted on counts of first-degree murder in connection with the ambush death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month.
The case against Mangione, 26, in Thompson’s murder outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, is elevated by the indictment on first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism.
“Mangione is also charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as a killing in the act of terrorism; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement regarding the indictment from the New York state Supreme Court.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Bragg described Thompson’s murder as a blatant, intentional, and targeted killing.
He went on, “This was a targeted, well-planned, and terrifying murder that was meant to shock, attract attention, and intimidate.” “It occurred in one of the busiest areas of our city, endangering the security of commuters, tourists, and businesspeople just beginning their day.
After being identified after a protracted manhunt, Mangione was arrested on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the allegations against him started to mount.
The felony charges of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, along with the misdemeanor charges of using bogus identification, have led to his arraignment in Pennsylvania.
Mangione was also battling extradition after being accused with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and possession of a forged instrument in New York last week.
As soon as an indictment against Mangione was handed down, a representative for New York Governor Kathy Hochul told NBC News she will complete the necessary paperwork and issue an extradition request.
In the New York and Pennsylvania charges, Mangione would enter a not guilty plea, according to his Pennsylvania lawyer, Thomas Dickey. Mangione is being represented on the New York accusations by Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
According to officials, police discovered a handwritten document, a notebook, a phony ID, and a revolver when Mangione was taken into custody.
According to three senior law enforcement officials, the letter attacked UnitedHealthcare in particular as well as the larger US health care system and big businesses. The officials reportedly stated that “frankly these parasites had it coming,” according to the notes.
The accusations against Mangione and Thompson’s murder have sparked debate and ire over the US health care system and insurance market.
Mangione had gone missing for months before to the shooting. According to the missing persons poster, his mother said that she had last spoken to her son on July 1st, and his family reported him missing to San Francisco police in mid-November.
In 2022, he traveled to Hawaii, but according to others who knew him there, surfing exacerbated long-standing back problems.
According to UnitedHealth Group, neither Mangione nor his parents had insurance through UnitedHealthcare. According to police, the company’s scale may have made it a target.
According to prison officials, Mangione is being imprisoned at Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
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