Luigi Mangione newest: Shooting suspect’s motive unsure as cops reveal key element about healthcare historical past
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Doubts have been cast over Luigi Mangione’s potential motives in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The NYPD’s Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that there is “no indication” that the shooting suspect, who is believed to have undergone major back surgery last year, was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare.
The findings don’t appear to indicate that Mangione held a grudge against Thompson, who was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, but targeted the company for its size and because he had prior knowledge of a conference taking place, Kenny told NBC New York.
“We have no indication that he ever was a client of UnitedHealthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America,” he said.
It comes as New York prosecutors began presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work toward what Governor Kathy Hochul predicts will be an “ironclad” indictment against the suspect, ABC News reported.
A grand jury indictment could bolster the case for extradition from Pennsylvania to New York, where he faces a second-degree murder charge.
Life inside Luigi Mangione’s maximum security prison
Luigi Mangione is being held under maximum security conditions at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, according to correction officials.
Mangione, 26, does not get to interact with any other inmates and is in a cell by himself, however, he is not in solitary confinement, officials told CBS News. They said that he has not yet had outside time, before adding that he will eventually.
He has not been violent and is not under suicide watch or any psychological order, the officials said.
Mangione’s fellow prison inmates have called for his release claiming his “conditions suck”. The outlet spoke exclusively to those incarcerated along with the shooting suspect at his prison.
Mangione doesn’t have a TV in his cell and is forced to eat the prison’s “terrible” food, which includes fruit, grits, scrambled eggs and “porcupine meatballs” for lunch – which are actually made from beef, according to the NewsNation.
“Luigi’s conditions suck,” inmates shouted to correspondent Alex Caprariello from their cells in a segment aired on Thursday. “Free Luigi.”
Watch: McDonald’s tightens security at Pennsylvania restaurant where Mangione was arrested
Woman charged after threatening health insurer with ‘delay, deny, depose’
A Florida woman was charged after threatening a health insurer with the phrase “Delay, Deny, Depose” – which was carved onto the spent rounds at the scene were UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, was shot dead.
Briana Boston, 42, was arrested at her Lakeland home on Tuesday after allegedly making threats on a call to BlueCross BlueShield regarding the denial of a recent medical insurance claim, according to WFLA.
She was charged with one count of written threat to kill or injure in connection to conducting a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.”
“Delay, deny, depose. You people are next,” the mom-of-three said in a recorded conversation to a telephone operator, according to Lakeland police.
When officers arrived at her home, she told them that “healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil”.
According to the news station, Boston said she does not own any firearms and told cops “was not a danger to anyone”.
The gunman who murdered Thompson in a horror early morning shooting a week ago left behind the cryptic message at the scene, carving the three words “depose,” “deny,” and “defend” into the live rounds and shell casings near the scene.
The three words bear a striking resemblance to a professor of law at Rutgers Law School Jay Feinman’s 2010 book: Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It.
‘Free Luigi’ poster hangs outside Brian Thompson’s murder scene
California police had identified Luigi Mangione four days before arrest
California police had identified the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect as Luigi Mangione and alerted the FBI four days before he was eventually arrested in Pennsylvania, according to a report.
An officer in the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is said to have tipped off the bureau on December 5 after recognizing Mangione in images circulated by the NYPD, sources told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Mangione had actually been on the radar of San Francisco authorities two weeks prior to the December 4 shooting of Brian Thompson.
Mangione’s mother, Kathleen Mangione, had reported her son missing on November 18 after the family had been unable to contact him since July 1, the sources told the Chronicle.
An acquaintance told The New York Times the suspect had lost touch with friends and family after undergoing major surgery for debilitating, chronic back pain in July 2023.
James Liddell has the details.
Luigi Mangione to attend court hearing in two weeks
Luigi Mangione is due to appear in court in just over two weeks time.
The hearing is scheduled at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m. on December 30.
It is to consider Mangione’s petitions for writ of habeas corpus – an inquiry concerning his detention – and imposition at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
It comes as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks are working to get Mangione to New York as he fights extradition.
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
Betting platform Polymarket started taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future after the 26-year-old was charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The bets started appearing on the website on Monday shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on gun charges, according to Forbes.
The betting platform surged in popularity during the 2024 presidential election, when gamblers spent more than $3.3 billion guessing the results.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Mangione’s defense fund surpasses $70k
More than $70,000 has been raised to pay for Luigi Mangione’s legal bills as he faces charges in both Pennsylvania and New York.
The December 4th Legal Committee launched the public appeal on Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo, which garnered the vast sum after the 26-year-old was changed in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday. The fundraiser has a goal of $200,000.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that he gets a fair trial with competent legal counsel,” said Carol Sherman, an organizer with the December 4th Legal Committee.
The group says that proceeds will go to “other political prisoners in the US” if Mangione’s charges are dropped, or he rejects the funds.
ICYMI: McDonald’s customer reflects on moment he spotted Luigi Mangione in fast food joint
United Healthcare officials say suspect was never a client
Officials with United Healthcare say the man suspected of killing the company’s CEO was never a client.
According to NBC News, there is no record of Luigi Mangione ever being a client with the agency.
Many people have speculated that a motive in the case could have been tied to claims made through the company. But, the suspect does not appear to have a direct tie to the provider.
Source: independent.co.uk
