Luigi Mangione fights extradition to face charges of killing the CEO

The man accused of fatally shooting health insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York jostled with police and shouted at reporters as he was brought into court Tuesday, as more details about the potential motive for the murder.

Luigi Mangione appears at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania. His lawyer said the 26-year-old will object to being transferred to New York to face murder charges.

“He pleaded not guilty to those offences,” the lawyer said. “I haven’t seen any evidence that he was the shooter.”

Different US states have different laws and judicial systems, so there needs to be a process involved in transferring fugitives, which can take days or weeks.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mr. Mangione tried to speak to reporters when he arrived at the hearing. He was heard shouting “total injustice” and “insulting to the intelligence of the American people” before being taken to court by officers.

Mr. Mangione was arrested on Monday after being found at a McDonald’s branch in Pennsylvania, following a days-long manhunt across multiple states. He allegedly found a gun similar to the murder weapon, a silencer and a fake identification document.

Three handwritten pages are said to also be in his possession. New York police said they considered these claims of responsibility in Mr. Thompson’s fatal shooting, as they appeared to document frustration with the U.S. health care system.

The 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO was gunned down by a masked man outside a Manhattan hotel in what authorities called a targeted attack.

Mr Mangione was denied bail for a second time on Tuesday, after prosecutors said he was too dangerous to be released.

The judge then gave prosecutors 30 days to seek a warrant from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to secure his extradition to the state.

Hochul then said she would provide one. “I am coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for an order from the governor to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable,” she said.

Defense attorneys also have a two-week deadline to file motions opposing Mangione’s move to New York. The challenge was described by a Pennsylvania prosecutor as creating “many hoops… to jump through”.

Mr. Mangione looked around at the row of reporters in court and occasionally smiled. At one point, he interrupted his lawyer, who quickly silenced him.

After the hearing Tuesday afternoon, attorney Thomas Dickey spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. “You cannot rush to judgment in this case or any case,” he said. “He is presumed innocent. Let’s not forget that.”

Mr. Mangione has been charged with multiple crimes in Pennsylvania, including providing fraudulent identification to police and possessing an unlicensed gun. He is being held in Pennsylvania state prison and will plead not guilty.

In New York, he faces separate charges including murder for Mr. Thompson’s December 4 killing.

Mr. Thompson was appointed chief executive officer of the company, the largest private insurer in the US, in April 2021.

According to his widow, Paulette Thompson, before his death he had received threats regarding his health insurance, but a motive for his murder has not yet been proposed by prosecutors.

However, on Tuesday, as police reviewed evidence and worked to piece together Mr. Mangione’s movements after the shooting, more details emerged about his alleged grievances with the insurance industry. medical insurance.

New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Good Morning America that he read a three-page handwritten letter allegedly found on the suspect when he was arrested.

“He gave some indications that he was unhappy with the health care system in the United States,” he said. “He has written extensively about his disdain for corporate America and especially the health care industry.”

The note, seen by some US media, is said to refer to “parasites” who have “arrived”. He also allegedly wrote that he acted alone.

Former friends who spoke to the BBC said Mr Mangione suffered a back injury. They said he left the surfing community in Hawaii in the summer of 2023 to have spinal surgery.

RJ Martin, the suspect’s former roommate who knew him in Hawaii, said the injury “at times prohibited him from doing many normal things.”

Various details about Mr. Mangione’s background have emerged since his arrest. He was born in Maryland to a wealthy, prominent family and police said he had ties to San Francisco, California. His last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League college, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in software engineering.

Local media reported that Mr. Mangione’s mother reported him missing last month and told authorities in San Francisco that she had not heard from her son since July.

“Our family is shocked and saddened by Luigi’s arrest,” Mr. Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media by his cousin. “We pray for Brian Thompson’s family and we ask that everyone pray for all those involved.”

With additional reporting from Nada Tawfik