Luigi Mangione, 26, a suspect in the New York City killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, is escorted after an extradition hearing at Blair County Court House in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the United States, on Dec 10, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione was indicted in New York on first-degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth Group Inc executive Brian Thompson in a shocking case that prosecutors said amounted to an act of terrorism.
Prosecutors elevated the case to first-degree murder, a charge reserved for “the most abhorrent conduct,” like killing a police officer, serial killing or terrorism, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday. If convicted, Mangione faces life in prison without parole.
Mangione, 26, waited outside a midtown Manhattan hotel before shooting Thompson on Dec 4 with a nine-millimetre, three-dimensional-printed ghost gun with a silencer, Bragg said. He then fled Manhattan, touching off a five-day manhunt that ended with his arrest in western Pennsylvania.
“This was a frightening, well-planned targeted murder, that was intended to cause shock” and intimidation, Bragg said at a news conference. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike.”
Bragg announced the indictment hours after court officials scheduled a pair of court hearings Thursday for Mangione in Blair County, Pennsylvania, which could determine how quickly he returns to New York. Mangione said at a hearing last week that he would contest his extradition to New York.
Bragg said his office has indications that Mangione may now drop his objection to extradition. As of Tuesday evening, Mangione was poised to agree to extradition at the hearing, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move could see him returned to New York by the end of the week.
Mangione was indicted on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of possessing
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