Luigi Mangione latest: Top New York attorney tapped by CEO murder suspect as ‘defense fund’ donations mount
Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent suspect as he faces second-degree murder charge while donations pour into GiveSendGo fundraiser
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A top New York City attorney has been hired to represent Luigi Mangione in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEOBrian Thompson.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo will be representing Mangione in New York. The suspect is also facing charges in Pennsylvania and is currently fighting extradition to New York, CNN reported. Police sources believe Mangione took a train to Pennsylvania, where he was captured on Monday.
Agnifilo has worked in private practice since 2021 and has experience in New York City’s criminal justice system. She spent seven years as the chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Mangione’s supporters are donating thousands of dollars for “defense funds” that have been established for him. Amid fears the shooting suspect is being turned into a martyr, several fundraisers have been set up for him online, with one created by anonymous group ‘The December 4th Legal Committee’ surpassing more than $100,000 in donations on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo by Sunday.
The group’s name is an apparent reference to the day the 26-year-old allegedly gunned down Mr Thompson in Midtown Manhattan.
Other campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione’s defense have been taken down by sites, such as GoFundMe, reported ABC News.
Public donations for suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione’s ‘defence fund’ surpass $100,000- Why is Luigi Mangione only facing second-degree murder over UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting?
Who is Luigi Mangione: What to know about man charged with murder in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooting death
Who is Karen Friedman Agnifilo? Top New York attorney Luigi Mangione retained for legal defence
The alleged UnitedHealthcare shooter suffered from chronic pain. It’s a problem plaguing more than a third of Americans
Luigi Mangione retains Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a top New York attorney for his legal case
Luigi Mangione has retained a top New York attorney for his legal case.
The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has retained Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him as he faces a second-degree murder charge, CNN reported.
Ms Agnifilo, who has worked in private practice since 2021, has extensive experience in New York City’s criminal justice system, having formerly spent seven years as the chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Supporters of Luigi Mangione donate tens of thousands of dollars for ‘defence funds'
Supporters of Luigi Mangione are donating tens of thousands of dollars for “defence funds” that have been established for him.
Amid fears the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is being turned into a martyr, several fundraisers have been set up for him online.
One created by anonymous group ‘The December 4th Legal Committee’ surpassed more than $90,000 in donations on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo by Saturday.
The group’s name is an apparent reference to the day the 26-year-old allegedly gunned down Mr Thompson in Midtown Manhattan.
Other campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione’s defence have been taken down by sites, such as GoFundMe, reported, abc.
What has Mangione’s family said in the wake of his arrest?
Luigi Mangione’s family couldn’t merely afford medical care. They could afford to donate more than $1 million of their own money to healthcare.
That’s according to a report Monday from The Baltimore Banner, which chronicles the wealthy family history of the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Following the news of Mangione’s arrest Monday, his family released a statement saying they were “shocked.”
Io Dodds has the full story.
Luigi Mangione’s family: Who are the relatives of CEO murder suspect
The man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson came from an influential Baltimore family with longstanding ties to local hospitals
McDonald’s worker may see a reward for calling in tip
The McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania who called in the tip that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione is eligible for law enforcement’s $60,000 reward — but he may not collect it for a while.
The manhunt for the masked gunman suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 came to an end after six days when Larry, a McDonald’s employee, called 911, saying he recognized a customer nibbling on hashbrowns from the photos circulated by NYPD. Now, that worker is eligible to collect tens of thousands of dollars in reward money.
Mangione, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder in New York in connection to Thompson’s death. He also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.
The FBI was offering up to $50,000 and NYPD Crime Stoppers was offering $10,000 for information that led to an arrest or conviction.
“The individual in Pennsylvania, who called in a tip, is eligible to receive the reward,” the Police Foundation board said in a statement Wednesday.
Since most rewards require a conviction, Larry might have to wait until a trial completes, which could take a year or more, the Associated Press reported.
Read the full story.
McDonald’s worker is eligible for Mangione reward, but it’s going to take a minute
Tipsters were eligible to collect $60,000 in reward money for information that led to the arrest or conviction
UnitedHealthcare didn’t insure Mangione
Luigi Mangione was not insured by UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, told NBC News.
The update comes after police said that there was “no indication” that Mangione was registered with UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO was murdered on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.
“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth-largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York. “So that’s possibly why he targeted that company,” Kenny said.
Investigators are still looking into a motive and have said that he suffered from debilitating back pain.
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
Betting platform Polymarket started taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future after the 26-year-old was charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The bets started appearing on the website on Monday shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on gun charges, according to Forbes.
The betting platform surged in popularity during the 2024 presidential election, when gamblers spent more than $3.3 billion guessing the results.
So far, users have wagered thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies speculating over Mangione’s alleged motive and outcome of the case.
A bet with one of the highest trading volumes, $125,000, is on whether Mangione was “motivated by denied [health insurance] claims.” Polymarket’s betting odds give it a 24 percent chance of being true.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
The bets started appearing on the website shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Recap: Who is Luigi Mangione?
Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder in connection to the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside his Manhattanhotel on December 4.
Mangione, 26, was spotted eating a meal inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning, with an employee calling the tip into police.
He is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail without bond as he awaits extradition to New York where he faces a murder charge. He also faces charges for gun law violations in Pennsylvania.
Thompson, 50, was shot dead on December 4 outside the New York Hilton Midtown. That launched a massive manhunt for the suspect who eluded police for nearly a week.
Read the full story.
Who is Luigi Mangione? What to know about murder suspect in CEO shooting
Mangione has been denied bail and is fighting extradition after being charged with murder in New York in connection with Brian Thompson’s death
Denying claims are like ‘an act of violence’ against Americans: AOC
New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CBS News that she believes Americans view health insurance companies denying their claims as an “act of violence.”
“I think that this collective American experience, which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world, all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this event. And it’s really important that we take a step back,” the Democrat said Thursday.
“This is not to comment and this is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them,” she continued.
Police in California had IDed shooting suspect four days before arrest
California police had identified the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect as Luigi Mangione and alerted the FBI four days before he was eventually arrested in Pennsylvania, according to a report.
An officer in the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is said to have tipped off the bureau on December 5 after recognizing Mangione in images circulated by the NYPD, sources told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Mangione had actually been on the radar of San Francisco authorities two weeks prior to the December 4 shooting of Brian Thompson.
Mangione’s mother, Kathleen Mangione, had reported her son missing on November 18 after the family had been unable to contact him since July 1, the sources told the Chronicle. An acquaintance told The New York Times the suspect had lost touch with friends and family after undergoing major surgery for debilitating, chronic back pain in July 2023.
Read the full story.
California police identified CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione days before arrest
Luigi Mangione’s mother had reported her son missing to California police two weeks before the shooting of Brian Thompson
UnitedHealth Group CEO admits healthcare system ‘doesn’t work as well as it should’
The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company to UnitedHealthcare, admitted that the US health system “doesn’t work as well as it should”.
Writing in a New York Times op-ed on Friday morning, Andrew Witty lamented the loss of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of United Healthcare, and addressed the US’s “patchwork” healthcare system.
The health insurance executive also wrote that he understood people’s frustrations with the health care system.
“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” he wrote. “No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades.”
He continued: “Our mission is to help make it work better. We are willing to partner with anyone, as we always have – health care providers, employers, patients, pharmaceutical companies, governments and others – to find ways to deliver high-quality care and lower costs.
“Clearly, we are not there yet. We understand and share the desire to build a health care system that works better for everyone. That is the purpose of our organization.”