EGN NEWS DESK
(NEW YORK) — The suspect within the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked again to New York on a aircraft and by helicopter Thursday to face new federal prices of stalking and homicide, which may convey the loss of life penalty if he is convicted.
Luigi Mangione agreed to return to New York after a morning courtroom look in Pennsylvania, the place he was arrested final week 5 days after the capturing of Brian Thompson. Mangione appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom for a day listening to the place a Justice of the Peace ordered he be detained.
After his Pennsylvania courtroom listening to, Mangione was instantly turned over to a minimum of a dozen New York Police Department officers who have been within the courtroom and led him to a aircraft certain for Long Island. He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, the place he was walked slowly up a pier by a throng of officers with assault rifles.
The federal criticism unsealed Thursday prices him with two counts of stalking and one depend every of homicide by way of use of a firearm and a firearms offense. Murder by firearm carries the opportunity of the loss of life penalty, although federal prosecutors haven’t stated whether or not they’ll pursue that punishment.
In a New York state indictment filed earlier this week, Mangione was charged with homicide as an act of terrorism, which carries a doable sentence of life in jail with out parole. New York doesn’t have the loss of life penalty.
In federal courtroom Thursday, Mangione shifted his head however in any other case didn’t react when the Justice of the Peace learn the a part of the criticism accusing him of killing Thompson.
Read More: Column: The Internet Missed the Point on Luigi Mangione
His lawyer stated coping with each the state and federal circumstances places the protection in a extremely uncommon scenario. “Frankly I’ve by no means seen something like what is occurring right here,” stated Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and capturing Thompson on Dec. 4 exterior a Manhattan resort the place the pinnacle of the United States’ largest medical insurance coverage firm was strolling to an investor convention.
Authorities have stated Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, faux IDs and about $10,000 when he was arrested whereas consuming breakfast on Dec. 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Mangione, who initially fought makes an attempt to extradite him, made two temporary courtroom appearances Thursday, first waiving a preliminary listening to on forgery and firearms prices earlier than agreeing to be despatched again to New York.
Investigators imagine Mangione was motivated by anger towards the U.S. well being care system and company greed. But he was by no means a UnitedHealthcare shopper, in accordance with the insurer.
According to the federal criticism, a pocket book Mangione was carrying when he was arrested included a number of handwritten pages expressing hostility towards the medical health insurance trade and rich executives particularly.
An August entry stated that “the goal is insurance coverage” as a result of “it checks each field,” in accordance with the submitting. An entry in October “describes an intent to ‘wack’ the CEO of one of many insurance coverage firms at its investor convention,” the doc stated.
The killing ignited an outpouring of tales about resentment towards U.S. medical health insurance firms whereas additionally shaking company America after some social media customers referred to as the capturing payback.
Video confirmed a masked gunman capturing Thompson, 50, from behind after which firing a number of extra pictures. The suspect eluded police regardless of authorities broadly circulating images of his unmasked face till Mangione was captured in Altoona, about 277 miles (446 kilometers) west of New York.
Mangione, a pc science graduate from a distinguished Maryland household, was carrying a handwritten letter that referred to as medical health insurance firms “parasitic” and complained about company greed, in accordance with a legislation enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press final week.
One of his attorneys cautioned the general public towards prejudging the case.
Mangione repeatedly posted on social media about how spinal surgical procedure final 12 months had eased his persistent again ache, encouraging folks with comparable situations to talk up for themselves if informed they simply needed to reside with it.
In a Reddit put up in late April, he suggested somebody with a again drawback to hunt further opinions from surgeons and, if mandatory, say the ache made it inconceivable to work.
“We reside in a capitalist society,” Mangione wrote. “I’ve discovered that the medical trade responds to those key phrases much more urgently than you describing insufferable ache and the way it’s impacting your high quality of life.”
He apparently minimize himself off from his household and shut pals in latest months. His household reported him lacking in San Francisco in November. His family members have stated in a press release that they have been “shocked and devastated” by his arrest.
Thompson, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, was skilled as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had labored on the large UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and have become CEO of its insurance coverage arm in 2021.
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Scolforo reported from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers Mike Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; contributed.
