Mangione charged with ‘act of terrorism’ in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO | Crime News

Luigi Mangione, the The 26-year-old accused Earlier this month, New York has been charged with murder “as an act of terrorism” in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A grand jury indicted Mangione on Tuesday on an additional charge of first-degree murder, according to New York prosecutors who had already charged Mangione with first-degree murder in the Dec. 4 killing.

“This was a horrific, well-planned, targeted killing that caused shock, attention and fear,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference. “This happened in one of the busiest parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents as well as tourists, commuters and business people starting their day,” he said.

Mangione’s attorney in New York, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not immediately comment on the new charge.

Under New York law, a terrorism charge is made when the alleged crime “is intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population, to influence the policy of a governmental unit by threats or coercion, and to influence the conduct of a governmental unit by murder, conspiracy or kidnapping”.

50-year-old Thompson was shot on his way to a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States, was holding an investor conference.

Arrested on warrant

After a lengthy manhunt, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9, according to a tip from a McDonald’s employee.

Authorities said there was a 3D-printed gun, a suppressor and several fake IDs, including one believed to have been used by the attacker to gain access to a New York dormitory before the attack. When Mangione recovers was arrested.

Before entering court last week in handcuffs, Mangione gave a partially incomprehensible message to reporters in which he was heard to say “an insult to the intelligence of the American people.”

In a brief hearing, his defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court that Mangione would contest extradition to New York and requested a hearing on the matter. He remains in jail without bond in Pennsylvania.

While in court, Mangione wore an orange prison jumpsuit and alternated between looking forward, looking at documents and looking back at the gallery. When he tried to speak, he was silenced at one point by his lawyer.

The shameless nature The murder and the apparent motive gathered national intrigue. Even as many experts, doctors and US citizens condemned the violence, they said it was a sign of anger at the country’s health care industry, where high costs leave many patients vulnerable to the whims of insurers.

The bullet casings found at the murder scene had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “deposit,” a phrase critics use to describe how health insurers evade claim payments. The gunman fled to Central Park on an electric bicycle and then boarded a bus out of the city.

“Parasite”

There are many in the days after the attack posted on social media sharing accounts of insurance companies that deny claims.

A law enforcement memo based on Mangione’s writings, some of which were found during his arrest, said Mangione was likely motivated by what he described as “parasitic” health insurance companies and a general disdain for corporate greed.

According to the memo, Mangione wrote that the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world and that while the profits of large corporations continue to rise, “our life expectancy” has not increased.

Raised on a small farm in Iowa, Thompson trained as an accountant. The married father of two high school students worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

Mangione comes from a prominent family in Baltimore, Maryland, and was valedictorian of an elite prep school in Baltimore. He went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League school, in 2020.

Some friends, known as polite and intelligent, said in interviews with US media that Mangione’s demeanor had changed since his recent spinal surgery.

“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement released on social media late Monday by his cousin, Delaware state lawmaker Nino Mangione.

“We offer our prayers to Brian Thompson’s family and ask that people pray for all involved.”