Luigi Mangione indicted for murder of CEO Brian Thompson, act of terrorism
(CNN) — Luigi Mangione has been indicted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan earlier this month, according to newly released court documents.
Mangione faces an 11-count indictment, including one count of murder in the first-degree and two counts of murder in the second-degree in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson on December 4, along with other weapon and forgery charges, the indictment says.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted Mangione of second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, according to the indictment.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Bragg said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference, noting the shooting happened “in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, and commuters and business people just starting out on their day.”
The 26-year-old is not going to fight extradition to New York, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo told CNN. He is set to appear in a Pennsylvania court for an extradition hearing on Thursday during which a judge will rule on the next steps for him to return to New York to face the indictment.
Mangione faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted, according to Bragg’s office.
“This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror and we’ve seen that reaction,” said Bragg. “… This was not an ordinary killing. Not to suggest that any killing is ordinary, but this was extraordinary.”
A charge of murder in the first degree is rare because it requires special elements related to the crime to be charged.
Under New York law, murder in the first-degree only applies to a narrow list of aggravating circumstances, including when the victim is a judge, a police officer or a first responder, or when the killing involves a murder-for-hire or an intent to commit terrorism, CNN has reported.
“The unsealing of today’s indictment brings us one step closer to securing justice for Brian Thompson and his family and affirming the primacy of the rule of law in the city of New York,” said NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Investigators in New York believe Mangione, a former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate born into a well-to-do family, appeared to be driven by anger against the health insurance industry and “corporate greed,” according to an NYPD intelligence report obtained by CNN.
He’s scheduled to appear at a hearing in Pennsylvania Thursday in response to his petitions for writ of habeas corpus and imposition of bail, court documents show. The habeas corpus petition is a key factor in whether Mangione can be extradited to New York.
Bragg acknowledged indications that Mangione may waive extradition, adding his office’s plans either way. “In any event, we have been preparing on parallel paths, and before the hearing will send to the governor of the state of New York, the paperwork would be necessary if he does not waive during that that hearing,” he said.
In the weeks since Thompson’s killing, officials have seen a “shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” Tisch said on Tuesday. “Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.”
The killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two, has laid bare many Americans’ fury toward the health care industry and struck fear in C-suites across the country, with an NYPD intelligence report warning online rhetoric could “signal an elevated threat facing executives in the near-term … ”
“This was a senseless act of violence,” Tisch said.
“It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk,” she continued. “We don’t celebrate murders, and we don’t lionize the killing of anyone, and any attempt to rationalize this is vile, reckless and offensive to our deeply held principles of justice.”