NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione was indicted Tuesday by the Manhattan district attorney in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione was hit with multiple charges, including one count of murder in the first degree, in furtherance of terrorism, and two counts of murder in the second degree, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, attention and intimidation,” Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and business people just starting out on their day.”
Bragg said maximum penalty for murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism is life without parole, and a conviction for murder in the second degree is 25 years to life.
Mangione was also charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument, Bragg said.
The announcement from Bragg came as Mangione awaits his next court appearance in Pennsylvania to face charges related to his arrest on Dec. 9.
Mangione’s is now in the process of being extradited to New York. Bragg had said late last week the 26-year-old suspect was considering waiving his extradition after previously fighting it.
Mangione is currently being held in a Pennsylvania state prison on charges related to possession of a gun and a fake ID.
Here’s what the Manhattan DA’s office alleges
Bragg outlined the suspect’s movements before and after the killing of Thompson, alleging:
- Mangione arrived at the Port Authority on a bus on Nov. 24, and checked into the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side, where he used a fake New Jersey ID under the name Mark Rosario. The suspect extended his stay at the Hostel multiple times.
- Mangione left the hostel at 5:34 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 4 and travelled to Midtown using an e-bike. Between 5:52 a.m. and 6:45 a.m., he walked near and around the Hilton Hotel. At approximately 6:15 a.m., he purchased a water bottle and granola bars at the Starbucks at 1290 Sixth Ave.
- Between approximately 6:38 a.m. and 6:44 a.m., Mangione stood against a wall on the north side of West 54th Street across from the Hilton, fully masked with his hood up.
- Mangione crossed the street to the Hilton Hotel at 6:45 a.m. and, armed with a 9mm 3D-printed ghost gun equipped with a silencer, approached Thompson from behind and shot him once in the back and once in the leg.
- Mangione then fled northeast on 54th Street and took an e-bike uptown. He eventually got into a taxi and was dropped off at West 178th Street and Amsterdam Avenue and then fled the state.
Luigi Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania
Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 after a customer at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, saw him eating breakfast and noticed a resemblance to the person being sought by police in the killing of Thompson in Manhattan five days earlier.
Police said Mangione was found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was arriving for his company’s annual investor conference.
The New York City Police Department told CBS News that there are no indications that Mangione was a UnitedHealthcare customer.
Hours after Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania, Bragg’s office in Manhattan filed paperwork charging him with five counts, including intentional murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Suspect adds high-power lawyer to defense
Mangione has added prominent defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo to his legal team. Agnifilo was a high-ranking deputy in the Manhattan DA’s office for years before entering private practice. Friedman Agnifilo’s law firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, confirmed in a statement to CBS News on Saturday that she had been retained to represent Mangione.
The firm said Agnifilo, a longtime veteran of the Manhattan DA’s office, served as the second-in-command for seven years under DA Cyrus Vance, in addition to serving for four years as the Chief of the Office’s Trial Division.