Luigi Mangione was recently extradited from Pennsylvania to New York and made a court appearance in connection to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old faced charges of murder using a firearm, stalking, and a firearms offense in federal court. Reports from CNN mentioned that Mangione was seen in court without restraints and dressed in regular clothing.
During the court proceedings, Mangione acknowledged his rights and familiarized himself with the accusations against him. After a brief 15-minute hearing, U.S. Marshal deputies escorted him out through a side exit, as detailed by the Associated Press.
Mangione appeared in a Pennsylvania court and agreed to be extradited to New York. Mangione is charged with firearms offenses in Pennsylvania, where he initially challenged his extradition up until the latest hearing.
Before New York federal authorities charged Mangione, a New York grand jury indicted him on state charges — including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as an act of terrorism, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after Thompson was shot near a Hilton hotel in Manhattan. Thompson, who is from Minnesota, was attending his company’s annual investor meeting when he was killed.
Authorities said fingerprints recovered from the water bottle and a KIND snack bar matched Mangione’s prints.
In addition to allegedly having a gun with a silencer and fake IDs, Mangione reportedly also had a two-page manifesto that decried the healthcare industry as “parasites.” Shortly after Mangione’s arrest, New York officials held a press coverage in which they hinted at the motive in Thompson’s murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione, a data engineer with a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, “has some ill will towards corporate America.”
Mangione’s attorneys said they are not seeking bail right now, though they can request it later. CNN reported that he is being housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the only federal prison in New York City.
[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Pamela Smith]
