Luigi Mangione indicted in New York for murder of United Healthcare’s CEO, multiple sources say
Dec 17, 2024, 1:35 PM
Luigi Mangione is escorted from the Blair County Court House in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, after an extradition hearing on December 10. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
(Eduardo Munoz/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
(CNN) — Luigi Mangione has been indicted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan earlier this month, multiple law enforcement officials tell CNN.
A New York grand jury has voted to charge Mangione with murder in the first-degree and murder in the second degree, among other charges, the officials said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to announce the indictment at a 3:30 p.m. news conference.
The 26-year-old has been fighting extradition to New York after being accused of fatally shooting Thompson on December 4, but Bragg said Friday it is possible the suspect could soon waive his right to fight being handed over to New York authorities.
If convicted of second-degree murder in New York, Mangione would face 15 years to life in prison, while a first-degree murder charge carries a sentence of 20 years to life. He is set to appear in a Pennsylvania court for a preliminary hearing next week on state charges following his December 9 arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona.
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.
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.
