NEW YORK (AP) — The suspect within the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked again to New York by helicopter Thursday to face new federal expenses of homicide and stalking, escalating the case after his earlier state indictment.
Luigi Mangione agreed to go return to New York after a morning court docket look in Pennsylvania, the place he was arrested final week after 5 days on the run. He was anticipated in a Manhattan federal court docket within the afternoon.
After his Pennsylvania court docket listening to, Mangione was instantly turned over to no less than a dozen New York Police Division officers who had been within the courtroom and led him to a aircraft sure for Lengthy Island. He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, the place he was walked slowly up a pier by officers with assault rifles.
The federal grievance unsealed Thursday expenses him with two counts of stalking and one depend every of homicide by use of a firearm and a firearms offense. One of many federal expenses, homicide by firearm, may deliver the potential of the loss of life penalty if he’s convicted. Federal prosecutors haven’t stated whether or not they are going to pursue the such a punishment.
The state expenses embody homicide as an act of terrorism, which carries a attainable sentence of life in jail with out parole. New York doesn’t have the loss of life penalty.
In Pennsylvania, Blair County District Lawyer Pete Weeks stated Thursday that he wished to show Mangione over to New York authorities as quickly as attainable.
“He is now in their custody. He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York,” Weeks stated.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and taking pictures Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 exterior a Manhattan resort the place the pinnacle of the US’ 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 transient court docket appearances Thursday, first waiving a preliminary listening to on forgery and firearms expenses 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. However he was by no means a UnitedHealthcare shopper, in keeping with the insurer.
Based on the federal grievance, a pocket book Mangione was carrying when he was arrested included a number of handwritten pages expressing hostility towards the medical health insurance business and rich executives specifically.
An August entry stated that “the target is insurance” as a result of “it checks every box,” in keeping with the submitting. An entry in October “describes an intent to ‘wack’ the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference,” the doc stated.
The killing ignited an outpouring of tales about resentment towards U.S. medical health insurance corporations whereas additionally shaking company America after some social media customers known as the taking pictures payback.
Video confirmed a masked gunman taking pictures Thompson, 50, from behind after which firing a number of extra photographs. The suspect eluded police regardless of authorities extensively circulating photographs 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 known as medical health insurance corporations “parasitic” and complained about company greed, in keeping with a regulation enforcement bulletin obtained by The Related Press final week.
One in all his attorneys has cautioned the general public towards prejudging the case.
Mangione repeatedly posted on social media about how spinal surgical procedure final yr had eased his persistent again ache, encouraging folks with comparable circumstances to talk up for themselves if informed they simply needed to dwell with it.
In a Reddit submit in late April, he suggested somebody with a again drawback to hunt further opinions from surgeons and, if obligatory, say the ache made it unattainable to work.
“We live in a capitalist society,” Mangione wrote. “I’ve found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how it’s impacting your quality of life.”
He apparently lower himself off from his household and shut pals in current months. His household reported him lacking in San Francisco in November. His family members have stated in an announcement that they had been “shocked and devastated” by his arrest.
Thompson, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, was educated as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had labored on the big UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and have become CEO of its insurance coverage arm in 2021.