The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, will return to New York on Thursday after he gave up his right to an extradition hearing.
Mangione showed up for a preliminary hearing and to discuss extradition in a Blair County, Pennsylvania, court on Thursday morning.
Throughout the almost hour-long hearing, Mangione paid close attention and seemed to be grinning with his lawyer.Instead of sending Mangione back to Huntingdon State Correctional Institution, where he was being imprisoned in Pennsylvania, Judge David Consiglio ordered at the end of the hearing that he be placed under the custody of the New York City Police Department.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the suspect—who was wearing an orange jumpsuit—was led from the courthouse and put into a black SUV.
At Altoona-Blair County Airport, where Mangione was loaded onto a tiny jet to proceed to New York, a procession of New York City police and Pennsylvania state police were spotted at approximately 10:40 a.m. After roughly ten minutes, the flight took off.
Our actions today were all done with his best interests in mind. His lawyer, Thomas Dickey, stated Thursday that the team is now prepared to defend, proceed, and begin defending against these charges in New York and Pennsylvania.
Earlier Thursday morning, Mangione supporters were spotted outside the courthouse, some of them holding posters that read “Free Luigi.”
On Tuesday, New York prosecutors indicted Mangione on 11 counts related to Thompson’s ambush shooting. Thompson was shot on December 4 while he was leaving a hotel in Midtown Manhattan to give a speech at a conference.
Mangione intended to waive extradition, which means he wouldn’t fight being sent to another jurisdiction to face charges, an insider with knowledge of the matter told NBC News on Tuesday.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that his office had received indications that Mangione would forego extradition and would be immediately transferred to New York.
In response to the indictment, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared Wednesday morning that “New York stands ready to do whatever it takes to hold the killer accountable.”
“The defendant is reportedly going to give up his right to extradition. If not, I’m ready to ask for a governor’s warrant right away to make sure he’s detained and tried in New York,” she continued.
After a five-day manhunt, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate was taken into custody on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, he faced minor charges of using false identification and felony charges of forgery and carrying a handgun without a license.
Given that UnitedHealthcare is one of the biggest private health insurers in the nation, New York police have speculated that Mangione may have singled out Thompson. According to his writings and social media presence, Mangione had a horrible back ailment that changed his life and has gripped over the healthcare system and corporate America.
One count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of second-degree murder, one count of fourth-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 are among the eleven counts of the New York indictment against him, Bragg said in a statement.
Thomas Dickey, Mangione’s Pennsylvania lawyer, has stated that he would enter a not guilty plea in both the New York and Pennsylvania cases.
Additionally, two people with knowledge of the situation told NBC News on Wednesday that federal prosecutors are considering charging Mangione.
One of the lawyers defending Mangione on the New York allegations, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, stated Wednesday evening that they are prepared to fight these charges in any court where they are filed.
“It is extremely unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns that the federal government would decide to add charges to an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case,” she said.
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