THE Ivy League graduate accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been hit with terrorism charges.
Luigi Mangione, who is due in court on Thursday, is expected to waive his right to extradition to New York City, where District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he committed the “brazen, targeted, fatal shooting.”
Luigi Mangione pictured being led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing on December 10Getty Images – Getty
GettyMangione, pictured on December 10, is due in court on Thursday for an extradition hearing[/caption]
RexBrian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was assassinated outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, on December 4[/caption]
Mangione, who is being held in the State Correctional Institution in Huntington, Pennsylvania, on gun and forgery charges, was formally indicted on 11 criminal counts on Tuesday in connection with the December 4 shooting in Midtown, Manhattan.
The suspect was charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one of which will be treated as a criminal act of terrorism, seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and forgery crimes.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, and attention, and intimidation,” Bragg said during an afternoon press conference.
“It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike – commenters and business people just starting out on their day.”
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called Thompson’s killing a “senseless act of violence.”
“It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk,” Tisch said.
She condemned the people who praised Mangione as a hero.
“We don’t celebrate murders, and we don’t lionize the killing of anyone,” she added.
Mangione, 26, is expected to appear in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Thursday for an extradition hearing.
A judge will rule on the next steps for him to be returned to New York to be arraigned on murder charges.
He is facing life in prison if convicted in New York.
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