Mangione is charged with shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
The 26-year-old man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has entered a not guilty plea after being charged with state murder and murder as an act of terrorism.
Luigi Mangione was arrested after Thompson, 50, was shot dead in New York City on 4 December following a nationwide manhunt.
Today’s (23 December) hearing was Mangione’s first opportunity to formally address the accusations made against him by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, after he waived his right to appeal extradition from Pennsylvania to New York.
He was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.
According to a report shared by PA, Mangione will be tried on both a state and federal level, with both cases running parallel to each other.
Luigi Mangione has entered a not guilty plea in regards to the charges of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
A federal criminal complaint made against Mangione was unsealed and shared by the US Department of Justice on December 19, which accused Mangione of having ‘stalked’ Thompson in the days before his death.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “Today, the Justice Department has brought federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione. As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime.
“I am grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to locate and apprehend the defendant and to ensure that he answers for his alleged crime.”
Mangoine arriving in court today (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Meanwhile his attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has shared her concerns about the 26-year-old receiving a fair trial, following concerns she made about calling the charges brought against Mangione during an appearance at federal court last week.
“He’s a young man and he’s being treated like a human pingpong ball by two warring jurisdictions here,” she said (via CNN). “They’re treating him like a human spectacle.”
Alongside the state and federal charges, Mangione also faces charges a number of separate charges in Pennsylvania in connection to a 3D-printed firearm and false ID. These items are said to have been found in his possession when he was arrested at a McDonald’s in the city of Altoona.Featured Image Credit: (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via Getty Images/XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
Topics: US News
Brenna Cooper
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Updated 07:43 18 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 07:09 18 Dec 2024 GMT
Luigi Mangione charged with first-degree murder of healthcare CEO as ‘an act of terrorism’
Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism in the killing of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old, originally from Maryland, was initially arrested earlier this month when an employee in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s identified him on 9 December.
Police were called to the eatery and found items linking him to the murder, such as a gun, a mask, and various writings.
“Responding officers questioned the suspect, who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport,” New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The Ivy League graduate has since been held at a Pennsylvania jail, and has been denied bail.
Luigi Mangione shouts to press outside court
Credit: FOX News
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What is Luigi Mangione accused of?
Mangione is suspected of shooting Thompson, 50, outside a Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on 4 December.
The three words ‘deny’, ‘depose’ and ‘defend’ were engraved on the live rounds left behind from the silent gun.
“In the nearly two weeks since Mr Thompson’s killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” Ms Tisch added.
“We don’t celebrate murders and we don’t lionise the killing of anyone.”
Speaking on the charges, which include two counts of second degree murder, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg said: “The intent was to sow terror,” calling the shooting a ‘frightening, well-planned and targeted murder’.
Luigi Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism in the killing of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson (Altoona Police Department via Getty Images)
“It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatened the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day.”
Mangione’s next court hearing will be on 19 December and a decision will be made if he will be extradited to New York on the charges.
“We have indications the defendant may waive that hearing,” Mr Bragg said.
A terrorism charge can be brought forward under New York law when a crime is ‘intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping’.
Mangione has been denied bail (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
What do we know about Luigi Mangione?
Mangione grew up in Maryland and graduated from the private Gilman School in 2016.
He went on to graduate from the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics in 2020.
R.J. Martin, who was co-living and co-working with Mangione in a community in Hawaii, said he was ‘beyond shocked’ by the news.
“He was a very thoughtful person. Communicated really well, was friendly, had good relationships with everyone. He was even, in some ways, a bit of a leader,” Martin told CNN.
“When I first interviewed him, before he moved in, I remember he said he had a back issue (from a surfing accident), and he was hoping to get stronger in Hawaii.”Featured Image Credit: Altoona Police Department via Getty Images/Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Topics: Luigi Mangione, US News, Terrorism, News, Crime
Anish Vij
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Updated 10:43 11 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 08:19 10 Dec 2024 GMT
Chilling handwritten ‘manifesto’ found on Luigi Mangione could provide details on assassination of healthcare CEO
Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
A chilling handwritten ‘manifesto’ was reportedly found on suspected Brian Thompson shooter Luigi Mangione when he was arrested.
The Ivy League graduate, 26, from Maryland, who has been charged with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was taken into custody on Monday (9 December).
A McDonald’s employee identified Mangione at the Pennsylvania eatery after police found him with items linking him to the murder, such as a gun, mask, and writings.
Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (PA Department of Corrections)
He is currently being held without bail in Pennsylvania and is likely be transferred to a Pennsylvania state correctional facility this evening, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
Alongside the murder charge, Mangione has been charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police.
Thompson, 50, who took the UnitedHealthcare CEO role in 2021, was shot dead outside the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan last Wednesday.
At around 6:46 am local time, the father-of-two was shot at least once in the back and once in the calf before he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
Suspected Brian Thompson shooter Luigi Mangione has been detained (Altoona Police Department via Getty Images)
Before Mangione was located, police found what is believed to be his bag there on Friday, which included a stack of Monopoly money, sparking a major theory.
Now, in the suspect’s bag found with him at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s, there was reportedly a 262-word handwritten note.
A senior law enforcement official who reportedly saw the document told The New York Times that the note appeared to show Mangione open up about the shooting.
“To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the suspect reportedly wrote, adding companies that ‘continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it’.
He also reportedly wrote that ‘these parasites had it coming’ and ‘I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done’.
Who is Luigi Mangione, the man charged in murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO?
(Credit: Youtube/CBS Chicago)
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The New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch thanked the McDonald’s employee who got in touch with the force after noticing a man who looked like the suspect.
“The suspect was in a McDonald’s and was recognized by an employee who then called local police,” she said.
“Responding officers questioned the suspect, who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport.
“Upon further investigation, officers recovered a firearm on his person, as well as a suppressor, both consistent with the weapon used in the murder.
“They also recovered clothing, including a mask, consistent with those worn by our wanted individual.
“Additionally, officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset.”Featured Image Credit: PA Department of Corrections/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images/NYPD
Topics: Crime, US News, New York, Luigi Mangione
Anish Vij
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Updated 15:31 18 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 14:42 18 Dec 2024 GMT
breaking
Southport attack suspect Axel Rudakubana has not guilty pleas entered over three murder charges
Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, is charged with the murders
Southport attack suspect Axel Rudakubana has entered not guilty pleas on three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder following the deaths of three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
Rudakubana, 18, of Old School Close in Banks, Lancashire, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court today (18 December) by video-link from Belmarsh prison.
He failed to speak when the court asked for his name and instead sat with a grey tracksuit on, with his hands on his lap.
A court drawing of Axel Rudakubana appearing via video link (PA/Elizabeth Cook)
Rudakubana has also been charged with possession of a knife, production of biological toxin ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
Pleas of not guilty were entered by the clerk to all 16 counts on the indictment.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following the attack at The Hart Space on a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on 29 July.
The attempted murder charges are in relation to eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
The charge ‘production of biological toxin ricin’ alleges that Rudakubana produced ricin on or before 29 July.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine (left to right) Merseyside Police)
A PDF file titled ‘Military studies in the jihad against the tyrants: the Al Qaeda training manual’ was also found and is in relation to the other charge.
He is said to have possessed the file between 29 August, 2021 and 30 July, 2024.
However, police confirmed that the July attack has not been declared a terror incident.
“At this time Counter Terrorism Policing has not declared the events of 29 July a terrorist incident,” Merseyside Police chief constable Serena Kennedy said.
“I recognise that these new charges may lead to speculation. The matter for which Axel Rudakubana has been charged under the Terrorism Act doesn’t require motive to be established.
“For a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established.”
Rudakubana was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff before his family moved to Banks, Lancashire.
He was 17 at the time of the incident.
A trial is set for January 20 and is expected to last up to four weeks.Featured Image Credit: PA (Elizabeth Cook)
Topics: UK News
Anish Vij
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Updated 13:27 11 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 11:59 11 Dec 2024 GMT
Luigi Mangione appears to have left behind ‘riddle’ as number of bizarre details linked to ‘286’
Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson
Internet sleuths believe they have figured out a ‘riddle’ seemingly left behind by Luigi Mangione on his social media.
Mangione was apprehended and charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, in Manhattan, New York last week.
Thompson was shot three times outside of the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue and died after being rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Luigi Mangione shouts to press outside court
Credit: FOX News
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The shooter, whose bullets were engraved with the words, ‘deny’, ‘depose’, and ‘defend’, then fled the crime scene on an e-bike through Central Park, before promptly ditching the bike at around 7am.
On Monday (9 December), police announced that a person of interest in connection to the shooting had been detained in Altoona, Pennsylvania after receiving a tip-off from a McDonalds employee.
Mangione has been charged with one count of murder, as well as charges relating to the possession of a firearm, forgery and giving the police false identification.
The 26-year-old attended his extradition hearing yesterday (10 December), where he was heard shouting something to reporters waiting outside.
Following this, internet sleuths immediately began investigating apart Mangione’s online presence and any clues he may have supposedly left behind.
Mangione had his bail denied by a Judge (Jeff Swensen via Getty Images)
While all of his social media platforms have since been taken down, the last to remain up was his account on X.
As well as digging into his Goodreads, which featured a positive four star review of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski’s, manifesto, as per The Independent, the main focus was on looking into his header on X.
The three image header featured a Pokémon character, an X-Ray of a back with metal pins, and a shirtless picture of him on a hike.
Though much of the internet has focused on the hiking picture, sleuths have dug more so into the secret meaning of the other pictures, considering it a ‘riddle’ to be solved.
And now, several have claimed to have found a hidden meaning, linked to the number ‘286’ which they believe has ‘figured out’ a number of key details.
Mangione’s X header (Luigi Mangione/X/Nintendo)
Firstly, the picture of a back X-Ray is speculated to be that of Mangione’s, with his former roommate claiming to CivilBeat that he’d suffered with back pain as a result of a misaligned vertebrae that sometimes pinched his spine.
In addition, the Pokémon in question is not random, but is also speculated to have a secret meaning behind it.
Every Pokémon has a specific number attached to it in the ‘pokedex’, with the one shown in his header Breloom being 286.
In addition to this, Mangione had exactly 286 posts on his X account, as per The Daily Star.
This has a multitude of supposed meanings that fans have realised.
Firstly, proverbs 28:6 in the Bible refers to a verse which many suspect is particularly relevant to the alleged shooter’s possible motives.
It reads: “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
Mangione remains in custody accused of the killing of CEO Brian Thompson (Anadolu via Getty Images)
A ‘manifesto’ found in Mangione’s backpack also reportedly indicated to police that he ‘appeared to view the targeted killing of the company’s highest-ranking representative as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and power games’.
In his three-page manifesto, Mangione also referred to private healthcare as ‘parasites [who] simply had it coming’.
This is reinforced by another ‘secret meaning’, with 286 being a code used by health services, which some have used to point to a claim having been rejected because of a late appeal.
This can mean that the appeal was not filed in time after a claim was first denied.
Following his arrest, Mangione’s family issued a statement, saying they were ‘shocked’ and ‘devastated’ by his arrest.
LADbible has contacted Mangione’s attorney for comment.Featured Image Credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images / NYPD