By HURUBIE MEKO
Earlier this week, Luigi Mangione was charged with first-degree murder related to the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, an accusation that has labeled him a terrorist.
“This crime was a terrifying, meticulously orchestrated, targeted homicide designed to evoke shock and awe while instilling fear,” stated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The assassination of CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 in downtown Manhattan sparked a lengthy pursuit and captivated many Americans, some of whom expressed their frustrations with health insurers. A segment even showed support for the assailant, hoping he would escape capture.
However, on Tuesday, prosecutors indicated that Mangione’s actions were aimed at propagating terrorism and warranted a first-degree murder charge. They asserted that the acts were “designed to intimidate or coerce the civilian population” and aimed to “influence the actions of a governmental entity through murder.”
While some jurisdictions categorize first-degree murder as a premeditated act, New York necessitates an added aggravating factor, which can include terrorism, as well as torture or the killing of a witness or law enforcement officer.
In addition, prosecutors have charged the 26-year-old Mangione with second-degree murder related to terrorism and an additional second-degree murder count. He faces gun-related charges as well.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, opted to provide no comment on the newly filed charges on Tuesday.
Bragg remarked that the charges were a response to the “bold, targeted, and premeditated shooting,” stating that his office was exceptionally prepared to handle a terrorism case.
If found guilty on the most severe charges, Mangione could face a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a customer identified him from the shooting suspect images, leading to a call to local authorities by an employee.
On Thursday morning, Mangione is set to appear in a Pennsylvania courthouse for two hearings—one concerning his gun and forgery charges in that state and another regarding extradition to New York. Bragg noted on Tuesday that they had “indications” Mangione might waive his extradition hearing, facilitating a quicker transfer.
Prosecutors previously indicated Mangione would confront a second-degree murder charge. Anna Cominsky, head of the criminal defense clinic at New York Law School, commented that the terrorism charges are noteworthy because “this isn’t how we typically consider terrorism.”
“The argument is that due to where the act occurred and its nature, the intention was to instill terror, not merely to kill the individual,” she explained. “The goal was to invoke fear among people.”
According to Cominsky, the prosecutors likely pursued additional charges because “they aim to charge based on all the aspects the facts support.”
The incident central to Mangione’s charges transpired early on the morning of December 4.
According to law enforcement, Mangione was spotted outside a Hilton hotel on West 54th Street—wearing a mask and hood—awaiting his target. After nearly an hour, Thompson arrived to prepare for a UnitedHealthcare investors’ day event. As he approached the entrance, Mangione allegedly came up from behind, brandished a 3-D-printed 9 mm firearm equipped with a suppressor, and shot him.
Authorities launched an extensive city search for the assailant, who reportedly fled on an electric bicycle. Investigators released surveillance footage of the suspect, including a smiling image taken at the hostel’s front desk on the Upper West Side where he supposedly stayed.
Law enforcement tracked the suspect’s path from the murder scene to a bus terminal and then to the 190th Street Station in Washington Heights, where he reportedly boarded the A train downtown to Pennsylvania Station.
Mangione was arrested while enjoying hash browns at an Altoona McDonald’s, completely absorbed in his laptop, when a customer observed his resemblance to the suspect in the police photos. An employee who overheard made the call to authorities.
Upon arrest, Mangione had a handgun, ammunition, counterfeit identification cards, and what authorities described as a 262-word handwritten manifesto, which indicated he seemed to accept responsibility for the homicide.
Following the murder, many took to expressing their anger—and outright rage—toward the health insurance sector.
“We have witnessed a shocking and distressing celebration of merciless murder,” stated Jessica Tisch, the police commissioner of New York, on Tuesday. “Social media has erupted with accolades for this despicable act.”
