Luigi Mangione latest: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect charged with murder as an ‘act of terrorism’
Brian Thompson shooting suspect is set to return to court for a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday
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Luigi Mangione has been indicted on murder charges for an “act of terrorism” in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, New York prosecutors revealed on Tuesday.
The indictment was announced during an afternoon press conference, days before the suspect is set to appear in Pennsylvania court for a preliminary hearing on gun charges. He was arrested in the Commonwealth after a nearly week-long manhunt.
The 26-year-old is accused of fatally shooting the healthcare executive on the streets of Midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4 and then eluding police for five days before he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
The suspected shooter has retained high-profile attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo to defend him. Agnifilo previously worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, serving as the chief assistant district attorney for seven years, before moving to private practice in 2021.
Mangione’s supporters continue to donate thousands of dollars for his “defense” fund. The anonymous fund “December 4th Legal Committee” has amassed more than $140,000 in donations on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo.
UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect indicted on murder charges with prosecution calling it ‘act of terrorism’
Luigi Mangione and the dark truth behind our reaction to his arrest
Who is Luigi Mangione: What to know about man charged with murder in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooting death
Luigi Mangione documentary already in the works from Spotlight producers
ICYMI: Luigi Mangione indicted on murder charges with prosecution calling it ‘act of terrorism’
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been indicted on murder charges, with prosecutors in New York describing it as “an act of terrorism.”
The indictment comes as a poll found four in 10 young adults consider the killing of health insurance CEO “acceptable.”
The new poll by Emerson College found that 41 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 found the killing acceptable, while 68 percent of people surveyed overall believe it is unacceptable.
Rhian Lubin has the details.
CEO shooting suspect indicted on murder charges in ‘act of terrorism’
The indictment comes as a poll found four in 10 young adults admit they find the killing of health insurance CEO ‘acceptable’
Comment: Luigi Mangione and the dark truth behind our reaction to his arrest
Set with the task of tracking down a fugitive from the law, you can guarantee social media will track them down in record time – even if the only thing to go by is a small, three-inch gap between a mask and a hood. As was the case with the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.
The NYPD released a set of images taken in the back of a taxi on Sunday, and within less than 24 hours, the internet had gleaned from the dark, bushy eyebrows alone that it was 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a Baltimore-born graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, who comes from a prominent family.
But once found, the circus didn’t stop there. As well as identifying the suspect, social media sleuths tracked down his LinkedIn, Twitter – even his Goodreads – profiles. And just as fast came the memes, objectification and reactionary vlogs.
Read Emma Clarke’s full piece below.
Luigi Mangione and the dark truth behind our reaction to arrest of ‘hot assassin’
Yes, internet sleuths helped police track down the suspect in the Brian Thompson case – but the reaction online since then has been less useful than it has salacious, writes Emma Clarke
The full list of charges against Luigi Mangione in New York
A grand jury indictment in New York charges Luigi Mangione with the following:
- first-degree murder
- two counts of second-degree murder, including one count as “an act of terrorism”
- two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree
- four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree
- one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree
- one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree
The first-degree murder and one of two second-degree murder counts accuse Mangione of committing “an act of terrorism, involving a violent act and acts dangerous to human life” that was “intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion, and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping.”
NYPD chief blasts social media commentary surrounding Mangione
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned what she called a “celebration” on social media of Brian Thompson’s killing.
“In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompsons killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” she said Tuesday.
She said NYPD discovered “ghoulishly plastered posters” threatening other CEOs.
“I just can’t wrap my head around someone celebrating this,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Everything we know about the killing of Brian Thompson
Brian Thompson was in New York for UnitedHealth Group’s annual Investor Conference.
Then he was shot dead on the sidewalk.
Here’s what you need to know about the case:
Who is Brian Thompson – the slain CEO of UnitedHealthcare?
Luigi Mangione allegedly kept a notebook that laid out his plot to ‘wack’ Thompson at his ‘parasitic bean-counter convention’ in Manhattan
Mangione’s prominent Baltimore relatives are ‘shocked and devastated’ by CEO shooting
Mangione family patriarch Nick Mangione was reportedly born to an illiterate father in Baltimore's Little Italy before the Second World War. He fought in the Pacific and made his fortune as a contractor and then a real estate developer in the baby boom years.
More on what we know about Luigi’s family, from The Independent’s Io Dodds:
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
What was on Luigi Mangione’s alleged to-do list?
Luigi Mangione allegedly laid out his plot to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a spiral notebook, including a chilling “to-do list” and plans considering using a bomb in the Manhattan attack.
James Liddell has more:
Luigi Mangione’s notebook reveals chilling alleged to do list and bomb plans
UnitedHealth CEO shooting suspect allegedly opted against using a bomb, noting it ‘could kill innocents’
Who is Luigi Mangione’s defense attorney?
Luigi Mangione has retained a top New York attorney for his legal defense in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
What we know:
Who is Karen Friedman Agnifilo? Top New York attorney Luigi Mangione retained
Mangione faces second-degree murder charge over shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
What’s next for Mangione?
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to issue a warrant for Luigi Mangione’s extradition to New York after a grand jury indictment unveiled murder and weapons charges against the suspected killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
He is due in court in Pennsylvani on Thursday.
Mangione was arraigned last Monday in Pennsylvania on felony counts of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, as well as three misdemeanors: tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with three murder counts and eight weapons charges.
He faces life improsonment without parole on the New York charges.
NYPD chief assails reports of deck of cards featuring other ‘most wanted’ CEOs
In a press conference announcing murder charges in New York against Luigi Mangione, NYPD chief Jessica Tisch held up a copy of The New York Post’s front page from Monday, which reported that a deck of cards with other “Most Wanted” CEOs to be targeted was being circulated.
“These are the threats of a lawless, violent mob who would trade in their own vigilantism for the rule of law that protects us all,” she said Tuesday.
“Let me say this plainly, there is no heroism in what Mangione did. It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk. We don’t celebrate murders, and we don’t idolize the killing of anyone,” Tisch added.
