Mangione charged with ‘act of terrorism’ in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO crime news

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month, has been charged with murder “as an act of terrorism.”

A grand jury charged Mangione with additional murder on Tuesday, according to New York prosecutors, who had already charged him with murder in the Dec. 4 slaying.

“This was a horrific, well-planned, targeted murder intended to generate shock, attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference. “This happened in one of the busiest parts of our city, posing a threat to the safety of local residents and tourists, commuters and businesses,” he said.

Mangione’s defense attorney in New York, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not immediately comment on the new charge.

Under New York law, terrorism can be charged when an alleged crime is intended to “intimidate or coerce the civilian population, to influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or pressure, and by murder.” To influence the conduct of the entity.” murder or kidnapping”

Thompson, 50, was shot dead as he headed to a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States, was holding an investor conference.

arrested on tip off

After a lengthy manhunt, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 9 following a tip from a McDonald’s employee.

Mangione was found with a 3D-printed gun, a suppressor and several fake IDs, one of which is believed to have been used by the attacker to check into a New York hostel before the shooting, authorities have said. Was arrested, were recovered.

Before entering the courtroom in shackles last week, Mangione gave a partially obscured message to reporters in which he could be heard referring to “an insult to the intelligence of the American people.”

At the brief hearing, his defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court that Mangione would oppose extradition to New York, requesting a hearing on the issue. He is in custody in Pennsylvania without bail.

While in court, Mangione, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, alternated between looking forward, looking at papers, and looking back toward the gallery. At one point, when he tried to speak, his lawyer silenced him.

The brazen nature and obvious motive of the murder created national intrigue. While condemning the violence, many experts, doctors and American citizens said it symbolized a wave of anger in the country toward the health care industry, where high costs leave many patients at the mercy of insurers.

Bullet casings found at the murder scene had the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose”, referencing a phrase used by critics to describe how health insurers avoid claim payments. . The gunman fled on an electric bike to Central Park, and later boarded a bus out of the city.

“Parasite”

In the days following the attack, many people have shared on social media the accounts of insurance companies denying claims.

The law enforcement memo, which was based on Mangione’s writings, some of which were recovered at the time of his arrest, stated that Mangione was likely motivated by what he described as “parasitic” health insurance companies and an overall disdain for corporate greed. Was described as.

According to the memo, Mangione wrote that the US has the world’s most expensive health care system and that the profits of major corporations are steadily increasing while “our life expectancy” is not.

Thompson, who grew up on a farm in small-town Iowa, was trained as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had worked at giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

Mangione comes from an influential family in Baltimore, Maryland, and was valedictorian at an elite Baltimore prep school. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science in 2020 from the prestigious Ivy League school University of Pennsylvania.

Considered friendly and intelligent, some friends have said in interviews with American media that Mangione’s behavior has changed after recent spine surgery.

“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Delaware state Assemblyman Nino Mangione.

“We pray for Brian Thompson’s family, and we ask people to pray for everyone involved.”