Luigi Mangione latest: Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting set to return to New York on murder charges

Luigi Mangione is expected to waive his right to an extradition hearing over New York murder charges, his attorney has said.

The 26-year-old was indicted on murder charges for an “act of terrorism” in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and is set to appear in court in Pennsylvania on Thursday.

He may be returned to New York as soon as tomorrow, ABC reported.

Mangione intended to “evoke terror” when he allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a Tuesday press conference.

The shooting transpired “in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, and commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day,” Bragg added.

The remarks come after the 26-year-old was charged with one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree in connection with the fatal shooting in New York.

Luigi Mangione is scheduled to appear at the Blair County Courthouse, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning for a fugitive from justice hearing.

The 26-year-old Brian Thompson shooting suspect is also scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing at the same courthouse relating to gun charges which saw him arrested at an Altoona McDonald’s last Monday.

The preliminary hearing was originally scheduled for Monday, according to court documents.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been indicted on murder charges, with prosecutors in New York describing it as “an act of terrorism.”

The indictment comes as a poll found four in 10 young adults consider the killing of health insurance CEO “acceptable.”

The new poll by Emerson College found that 41 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 found the killing acceptable, while 68 percent of people surveyed overall believe it is unacceptable.

Rhian Lubin has the details.

Set with the task of tracking down a fugitive from the law, you can guarantee social media will track them down in record time – even if the only thing to go by is a small, three-inch gap between a mask and a hood. As was the case with the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

The NYPD released a set of images taken in the back of a taxi on Sunday, and within less than 24 hours, the internet had gleaned from the dark, bushy eyebrows alone that it was 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a Baltimore-born graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, who comes from a prominent family.

But once found, the circus didn’t stop there. As well as identifying the suspect, social media sleuths tracked down his LinkedIn, Twitter – even his Goodreads – profiles. And just as fast came the memes, objectification and reactionary vlogs.

Read Emma Clarke’s full piece below.

A grand jury indictment in New York charges Luigi Mangione with the following:

• first-degree murder
• two counts of second-degree murder, including one count as “an act of terrorism”
• two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree
• four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree
• one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree
• one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree

The first-degree murder and one of two second-degree murder counts accuse Mangione of committing “an act of terrorism, involving a violent act and acts dangerous to human life” that was “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.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned what she called a “celebration” on social media of Brian Thompson’s killing.

“In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompsons killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” she said Tuesday.

She said NYPD discovered “ghoulishly plastered posters” threatening other CEOs.

“I just can’t wrap my head around someone celebrating this,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

Brian Thompson was in New York for UnitedHealth Group’s annual Investor Conference.

Then he was shot dead on the sidewalk.

Here’s what you need to know about the case:

Mangione family patriarch Nick Mangione was reportedly born to an illiterate father in Baltimore’s Little Italy before the Second World War. He fought in the Pacific and made his fortune as a contractor and then a real estate developer in the baby boom years.

More on what we know about Luigi’s family, from The Independent’s Io Dodds:

Luigi Mangione allegedly laid out his plot to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a spiral notebook, including a chilling “to-do list” and plans considering using a bomb in the Manhattan attack.