Luigi Mangione has agreed to extradition in a Pennsylvania court on Thursday morning. This decision clears the path for his transfer to New York, where he will face charges related to the fatal shooting of a health insurance CEO earlier this month.
Initially appearing in a Pennsylvania court for weapons and fake ID charges, Mangione also participated in an extradition hearing. This hearing was a result of his indictment on three murder charges in New York in connection to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4. Notably, two of the murder charges include terrorism enhancements.
Despite initially suggesting that he would contest extradition, Mangione reversed his stance after enlisting the services of former prosecutor Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him in New York. Agnifilo had previously stated to CNN that there would be no resistance to the extradition process.
Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks told reporters after the hearing that he was handed over to New York authorities for the return to Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Mangione has reportedly been indicted on federal charges, The New York Times reported. Those charges are not known but are expected to be unsealed later on Thursday, CNN said. The charges include stalking murder and using a silencer in a crime of violence, sources told the network.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office told the Times that his charges “will proceed in parallel with any federal case.”
Friedman Agnifilo issued a statement saying that “the federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns.”
“We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought,” she said.
The Times speculated that the federal charges could be an attempt to charge Mangione with the death penalty since capital punishment has been outlawed in New York for 20 years. Any decision on seeking the death penalty will likely be made by the Justice Department in incoming President Donald Trump’s administration.
The murder of Thompson, chief executive of the country’s largest health insurer, has sparked fear among the executives of large companies, particularly in the health insurance industry, where average Americans struggle with the highest per capita rate of spending in the world, according to Statista. Wealthy executives and shareholders of such companies have increased security, especially in the wake of rising donations made to Mangione’s defense fund by Americans angry at the companies’ seeming prioritization of profits over healthcare.
Mangione’s 262-word “manifesto,” found with him at his arrest in Pennsylvania, indicated his anger about UnitedHealthcare in particular, although authorities say he does not appear to have been a client of that company.
