Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to ‘terrorism’ in murder of US health care CEO health News
Mangione faces three state murder charges, including the killing as an ‘act of terrorism’, and separate federal charges.
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges alleging he committed a “terrorist act.”
The plea entered Monday in a Manhattan court comes days after federal prosecutors filed their own charges against Mangione in connection with the Dec. 4 killing of Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 9 and extradited to New York last week. He appeared in court Monday in handcuffs and wearing a burgundy sweater over a white collared shirt.
When asked how he pleaded to an 11-count indictment, which includes three murder charges that include the killing as a “terrorist act,” he leaned toward the microphone and said, “Guilty. No”.
He faces life in prison if convicted of state charges, but faces the death penalty if convicted of federal charges.
Last week, Mangione, who graduated from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania and comes from an influential Maryland family, appeared in federal court in New York for the first time.
He was not asked to enter a plea on federal charges. They include one case of using firearm to commit murder, one case of interstate stalking resulting in death and one case of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.
‘Deny, defend, depose’
Thompson’s murder has sparked renewed scrutiny of the American health care system, in which high costs often leave patients vulnerable to the decisions of insurance companies.
UnitedHealthcare is the country’s largest health insurance company.
Long-simmering anger toward the industry has become evident after the attack, and some have hailed Mangione as a folk hero. Mangione’s mention during Saturday’s Saturday Night Live comedy program brought cheers from the crowd.
Even many medical professionals and patients who have condemned the violence have taken to social media in recent days to share stories of claims being rejected by insurance companies.
About two dozen members of the public were present at Mangione’s arraignment, and a small group of supporters gathered outside.
One man held a sign that read “Reject, defend, depose”, a reference to the words carved on bullet casings at the site of Thompson’s assassination. These terms are often used by critics to describe how health insurance companies avoid paying claims, thereby denying care or forcing patients to pay large bills out of pocket. goes.
According to the federal criminal complaint, police who arrested Mangione found a notebook containing several handwritten pages that “expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and particularly wealthy executives”.
A notebook entry dated October 22 allegedly described his intention to “dissuade” the chief executive of an insurance company at its investor conference.
