On Thursday morning, UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect Luigi Mangione appeared at Blair County Courthouse for his latest hearing where he waved extradition to New York
According to court reporters, he didn’t say much—just “yes” and “no” in response to the judge’s questions. After his brief stay in Pennsylvania, he was placed on a small-engine plane, heading back the big Apple to face the music. The judge ruled on Thursday that Mangione will also have to return to court in Pennsylvania to face state weapons and forgery charges on Feb. 24.
As we previously reported, CEO Brian Thompson, at just 50 years old, was shot while on his way to a hotel for an investor conference. The manhunt that ensued after Thompson’s death stretched for days, culminating in Mangione’s arrest following a tip at a local Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
District Attorney Pete Weeks has made it clear that there’s no backing down from the charges against Mangione. So far he faces first-degree murder charges, and the fact that he was armed at the time of his arrest adds another layer to this already complex case. But the stakes are even higher now, as the prosecutors have introduced a terrorism charge, claiming that Thompson’s murder was an act intended to instill fear.
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg didn’t mince words when he stated that this was a killing aimed at evoking terror—a sentiment that sits deeply in a society already dealing with its own fears.
Mangione is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan this Thursday afternoon. Mangione’s New York lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in a statement, “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.”
Mangione’a federal charges could make Mangione eligible for the death penalty. He’s already looking at a a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges.
