Luigi Mangione, suspect in killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO, is being housed in same prison as Diddy
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York is known for having ‘dangerous’ and ‘barbaric’ conditions
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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, is being held at the same New York prison where music mogul and accused sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs is being housed.
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York is a notorious prison where people who are charged with federal crimes in New York are held while awaiting trial.
Its list of famous inmates over the years includes sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, former head of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried, sex trafficker R. Kelly, Combs and now, Mangione.
On Thursday, Mangione was extradited from Pennslyvania, where he was arrested on gun charges, to New York where he faces first and second-degree state murder charges.
But he was charged on the federal level with two counts of stalking, murder through the use of a firearm and a gun charge.
The new charges now make the suspect eligible for the death penalty and allow prosecutors to place him in the Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting trial.
The federal detention center is known for being chronically understaffed, plagued by violence and having less-than-ideal living conditions.
Federal judges in New York have been known to reduce sentencings purely based on the awful conditions of the detention center. One judge called it “dangerous” and “barbaric”.
But that is where the suspected gunman in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting will remain until his next hearing which is set to take place in mid-Janaury.
The case, and suspect, have become a major public spectacle due to the nature of the murder.
Thompson was shot multiple times in the morning in the middle of Midtown, Manhattan earlier this month. What puzzled much of the nation was how the suspect managed to flee the scene and evade police for several days, despite conducting the shooting in broad daylight in a populated city.
Mangione was arrested in connection to the murder after a person recognized him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Police reportedly found a notebook containing angry notes about health insurance companies in the U.S. and wanting to seek revenge for their predatory nature.
While many perceive the murder as a tragedy and horrific act of violence, it also generated conversation online about the general animosity toward health insurance companies and the health insurance system.
Mangione has developed somewhat of a fan club, mostly composed of young people, who feel his actions were justified.
As the suspect appeared in court on Thursday, people outside held signs advocating for the suspect’s freedom.
Combs was arrested in September on sex trafficking and racketeering charges with federal prosecutors alleging that Combs and his associates threatened, abused and coerced women and others around him “to fulfill his sexual desires” – which allegedly includes forcing victims into engaging in recorded sexual activity which he referred to as “Freak Offs.”
His lawyers insist the rap mogul is “an innocent man with nothing to hide.”
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told The Independent via email in the wake of his arrest.
In November the 55-year-old was denied bail for a third time.
Judge Arun Subramanian denied the application, agreeing with prosecutor arguments that Combs had shown a propensity for violence previously, and could not be “trusted” to obey rules if released.