Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO's death to appear in court to face state charges

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare’s CEO is expected to be arraigned Monday in a Manhattan court on murder and terrorism charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution .

Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan District Attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. His initial appearance in New York State Supreme Court was canceled by federal prosecutors who filed their own charges in the shooting.

The federal charges could carry the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said the two cases would follow parallel tracks, with the state charges to be tried first.

Luigi Mangione, suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is... — Luigi Mangione, suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted by police Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)(PA)

Authorities say Mangione shot Brian Thompson on his way to an investors conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4.

Mangione was arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day search, carrying a gun matching the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also carried a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and particularly wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state’s charges Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the seriousness of a “horrifying, well-planned and targeted, intended to cause shock, attention and intimidation.”

“In its most basic terms, this was a murder intended to instill terror,” he added. “And we saw that reaction.”

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach “very confusing” and “very unusual.”

Mangione is being held in a federal prison in Brooklyn alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

He was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly transported to New York, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was taken from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams said he hoped to send a message to the suspect: “I wanted to look him in the eye and tell him that you committed this terrorist act in my city – the city that the people of New York love,” the mayor said to a premises. TV channel. “I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.”

An Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appears to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months. He frequently posts about his problems with back pain on online forums. He was never a UnitedHealthcare customer, according to the insurer.

Thompson, married with two high school students, worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

The killing prompted some to express resentment toward U.S. health insurers, with Mangione serving as a surrogate for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. It also sent shock waves through the business world, shaking executives who say they have received an increase in threats.