Luigi Mangione newest: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s suspected killer faces federal costs after waiving extradition
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Luigi Mangione will face federal charges over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson after arriving in New York, according to newly unsealed court documents.
The charges include murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms offense, according to multiple outlets. The 26-year-old has also been hit with charges in New York at a state level, which include murder as an act of terrorism.
Mangione is expected to be arraigned on Thursday after he formally waived his right to an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania and was immediately returned to the Empire State.
The suspected gunman is accused of fatally shooting the healthcare executive on the streets of Midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4 and then eluding police for five days before he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
High-profile attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo has recently been retained to defend him. Agnifilo previously worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, serving as the chief assistant district attorney for seven years, before moving to private practice in 2021.
Mangione’s supporters continue to donate thousands of dollars to his “defense” fund. The anonymous fund, “December 4th Legal Committee”, has amassed more than $140,000 in donations on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo.
Watch: Luigi Mangione arrives in Manhattan after extradition from Pennsylvania
Mangione expected in court at around 2pm ET
Luigi Mangione is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan around 2 p.m., according to a release from the Southern District of New York.
Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker will oversee the court proceedings at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse.
Mangione arrived by helicopter in Manhattan around 1 p.m. New York mayor Eric Adams was reportedly among those escorting the 26-year-old to the courthouse.
Mangione arrives in Manhattan by helicopter
Luigi Mangione has arrived in Manhattan after being flown by helicopter from Long Island.
He was flown from Pennsylvania to New York earlier today, after waiving extradition to the Empire State.
Mangione lawyer calls federal charges ‘highly unusual’
Luigi Mangione’s attorney, Karen Agnifilo, said that the decision to add federal charges on top of state-level charges was “highly unusual.”
“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” Agnifilo said in a statement shared with The Independent.
“We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”
Mangione arrives in New York ahead of arraignment
The plane returning Luigi Mangione to New York has landed on Long Island, according to reports and flight trackers.
Mangione is expected to be transferred to a NYPD helicopter, which will take him to Manhattan, CNN reported.
In pictures: Mangione supporters gather in Pennsylvania and New York
Mangione to face federal charges in New York, reports
Luigi Mangione will face federal charges over the killing of UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson after arriving in New York, sources have told the Associated Press.
The charges include murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms offense, according to CNN.
Mangione has also been hit with charges in New York at a state level, which include murder as an act of terrorism.
Mangione ‘seemed calm’ and was ‘smiling at times’ in Pennsylvania court
Luigi Mangione “seemed calm” and was even “smiling at times” during his court appearances in Pennsylvania on Thursday morning, according to reports.
CNN reporter Danny Freeman, who was present in the courtroom, said the 26-year-old’s behaviour was very different to previous appearances. Mangione has made small outbursts when arriving and inside the court at previous hearings.
“He seemed calm during much of this hearing,” Freeman said, adding that throughout much of the proceedings Mangione had been sitting by himself “just waiting.”
“He was smiling at times… He was chatting at times with some of the sheriff’s deputies as well, but mostly keeping his head down, reading and writing on some of the papers that he had in front of him.
“But again, he word that came to my mind when watching him again, in contrast to that outburst and the first night I saw him in court, was he seemed calm today.”
Mangione will face PA gun charges after NYC proceedings conclude
Luigi Mangione will not face brought against him in Pennsylvania until proceedings in New York have concluded, according to Commonwealth officials.
The 26-year-old did not enter a plea to the firearm and forgery charges he faces in Pennsylvania on Thursday, but waived his extradition to New York and was taken back to be arraigned on murder charges.
Following the hearings, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks told reporters that a preliminary hearing would be scheduled, but that Blair County does not expect to transport Mangione back from to New York to Pennsylvania to face his charges there until after he is tried in New York.
“I certainly think as a practical matter, it would have been laughable and a waste of resources and time for us to try to keep this defendant here for our charges and delay New York’s custody of the defendant for the more serious case,” Weeks said.
Source: independent.co.uk
