Mangione faces federal murder and stalking charges over UnitedHealthcare CEO killing
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel earlier this month, has been extradited from Pennsylvania to New York from Pennsylvania to face new murder charges. These charges were unsealed in newly filed federal court documents.
The 26-year-old is scheduled to appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon in Lower Manhattan. He faces four federal counts related to the shooting death of Thompson, including murder, stalking and interstate travel, according to the unsealed complaint.
Mangione also faces 11 counts in state court in New York. If found guilty in federal court, he could face the death penalty. On Tuesday, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Mangione for murder as an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described Thompson’s death as “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
The words “deny,” “delay,” and “depose” — language often used to critique the tactics health care insurance companies — were found written on some of the shell casings discovered at the crime scene.
Mangione, who is represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, waived his right to contest extradition to New York this morning and arrived aboard a NYPD helicopter ahead of a 2 p.m. court appearance. Mangione had been arrested inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., five days after the shooting, and had initially fought extradition.
The 10-page federal charging document gives new details about the events leading up to Thompson’s death. According to the complaint filed by FBI special agent Gary Cobb, Mangione was found in possession of a notebook that “contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
In one notebook entry dated Aug. 15, 2024, the complaint says, writings described how “the details are finally coming together” and “I’m glad – in a way – that I’ve procrastinated, bc [because] it allowed me to learn more about [acronym for Company-1].” The notebook entry also stated that “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box.”
In another entry corresponding to Oct. 22 — less than two months before the shooting happened on the morning of UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference that Thompson was reportedly scheduled to attend — the notebook read: “1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall . . . and – most importantly – the message becomes self-evident.” The entry goes on to describe an intent to “wack” the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference.
This alleged targeted attack has fueled anger toward the health insurance industry, with some people even praising the shooter’s actions on social media. A small crowd of protesters was seen outside the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday, holding signs in support of Mangione.
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