Luigi Mangione newest: Public ‘defence fund’ passes $50,000 as high New York lawyer retained for authorized case

Luigi Mangione has retained a top New York attorney for his legal case.

The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has retained Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him as he faces a second-degree murder charge, CNN reported.

Ms Agnifilo, who has worked in private practice since 2021, has extensive experience in New York City’s criminal justice system, having formerly spent seven years as the chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Supporters of Luigi Mangione are donating tens of thousands of dollars for “defence funds” that have been established for him.

Amid fears the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is being turned into a martyr, several fundraisers have been set up for him online.

One created by anonymous group ‘The December 4th Legal Committee’ surpassed more than $90,000 in donations on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo by Saturday.

The group’s name is an apparent reference to the day the 26-year-old allegedly gunned down Mr Thompson in Midtown Manhattan.

Other campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione’s defence have been taken down by sites, such as GoFundMe, reported, abc.

Luigi Mangione’s family couldn’t merely afford medical care. They could afford to donate more than $1 million of their own money to healthcare.

That’s according to a report Monday from The Baltimore Banner, which chronicles the wealthy family history of the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Following the news of Mangione’s arrest Monday, his family released a statement saying they were “shocked.”

Io Dodds has the full story.

The manhunt for the masked gunman suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 came to an end after six days when Larry, a McDonald’s employee, called 911, saying he recognized a customer nibbling on hashbrowns from the photos circulated by NYPD. Now, that worker is eligible to collect tens of thousands of dollars in reward money.

Mangione, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder in New York in connection to Thompson’s death. He also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.

The FBI was offering up to $50,000 and NYPD Crime Stoppers was offering $10,000 for information that led to an arrest or conviction.

“The individual in Pennsylvania, who called in a tip, is eligible to receive the reward,” the Police Foundation board said in a statement Wednesday.

Since most rewards require a conviction, Larry might have to wait until a trial completes, which could take a year or more, the Associated Press reported.

Read the full story.

“Delay, deny, depose. You people are next.” Briana Boston of Lakeland allegedly told a BlueCross BlueShield employee at the end of a call about a recently denied medical insurance claim.

Those same words were found scrawled on three bullet casings at the scene of Thompson’s murder. Police believe they are a reference to “Delay, Deny, Defend” – which is the name of a book attacking insurance companies, and a phrase used to describe how insurance companies delay payments, deny claims and defend their actions.

Because of the recent fatal shooting of Thomspon, the employee perceived the words as a threat and called FBI officials, said officials.

Ariana Baio has the full story.

Joe Rogan chalked up the country’s mixed reactions to the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO to the “dirty business” of health insurance.

Rogan and his guests, filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, discussed the December 4 death of Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Tuesday’s episode of the mega-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

The podcaster and his guests predicted there wouldn’t be much sympathy for the 50-year-old insurance executive due to the state of health insurance in the US.

“I don’t think anybody is going to be crying too hard over” Thompson’s death, Avary said.

“Maybe his family, but that’s about it,” Rogan replied. “It’s a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f***ing gross. It’s gross, especially healthcare insurance.”

Read the full story.

December 4: The suspect set off from an Upper West Side hostel before dawn. He was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth at 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel where the UnitedHealthcare Group was holding its conference. After opening fire, the suspect fled by bike through Central Park before getting into a cab and was later spotted at a bus station. A manhunt ensued.

December 5: Investigators revealed a cryptic message carved onto the shell casings: “delay,” “deny” and “depose.” NYPD also released images of the suspect.

December 6: Police announce they believe the suspect has left New York City, expanding the desperate search. A backpack, thought to belong to the suspect, was found in Central Park and sent in for forensic testing. The now-viral “flirtatious” photo of the suspect speaking to a hostel worker was released.

December 7: NYPD releases another photo of the suspect, this time in the back of a taxi. The FBI also joined the hunt for the suspect, offering a $50,000 reward for information.

December 8: Although no leads on the suspect’s whereabouts were made public, investigators revealed the contents of the backpack included Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket.

December 9: A private service for Brian Thompson was held. Also that day, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania tipped recognized Mangione from the photos circulated by police. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on gun charges and hours later faced a murder charge in New York.

DeleteEdit

Luigi Mangione was not insured by UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, told NBC News.

The update comes after police said that there was “no indication” that Mangione was registered with UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO was murdered on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.

“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth-largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York. “So that’s possibly why he targeted that company,” Kenny said.

Investigators are still looking into a motive and have said that he suffered from debilitating back pain.

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.

So far, users have wagered thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies speculating over Mangione’s alleged motive and outcome of the case.

A bet with one of the highest trading volumes, $125,000, is on whether Mangione was “motivated by denied [health insurance] claims.” Polymarket’s betting odds give it a 24 percent chance of being true.

Rhian Lubin has the full story.