Luigi Mangione indicted on first-degree murder charge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing

Luigi Mangione was indicted on first-degree murder and other charges in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this month, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.

The indictment on first-murder degree in furtherance of terrorism elevates the case against Mangione, 26, in Thompson’s killing outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.

The New York state Supreme Court indictment also charges Mangione with two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as a killing in the act of terrorism; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Bragg called Thompson’s slaying a “brazen, targeted and premeditated shooting” at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” he said. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day.”

Bragg added terrorism charges were warranted because the slaying was “intended to evoke terror.”

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at Tuesday’s media briefing that unsealing the indictment helps move the case closer to securing justice for Thompson and his family.

Tisch lambasted some of the reaction the fatal shooting has drawn, with some praising Mangione as a hero instead of a killer.

“This was a senseless act of violence. It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk,” she said. “We don’t celebrate murders, and we don’t lionize the killing of anyone.”

Tisch added that any attempt to rationalize the slaying is “vile, reckless and offensive” to the principles of justice.

A UnitedHealth Group spokesman said the indictment was “an important step forward for seeking justice in the murder of our colleague, Brian Thompson.”

“We will work with law enforcement authorities to help bring closure for Brian’s family, friends, and colleagues,” the spokesman said.

The charges began to pile up for Mangione after his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9 after he was recognized following a massive manhunt.

He has been arraigned and is being held in Pennsylvania on felony charges of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, as well as misdemeanor allegations related to the alleged use of fraudulent identification, and he was fighting extradition.

A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told NBC News she would file an extradition order and paperwork as soon as an indictment against Mangione was handed up.

A source familiar with the situation told NBC News that Mangione plans to waive extradition at a hearing Thursday. Bragg said at Tuesday’s news conference his office has gotten indication that that is the case, meaning Mangione will be “brought to New York forthwith.”

Mangione’s Pennsylvania attorney, Thomas Dickey, said he would plead not guilty in the New York and Pennsylvania cases. Karen Friedman Agnifilo has been retained to represent Mangione on the New York charges. She declined to comment Tuesday afternoon.

When Mangione was arrested, police found a gun, a fake ID, a notebook and a handwritten document, officials have said.

The document criticized the broader health care industry in the U.S., large corporations and specifically UnitedHealthcare, three senior law enforcement officials have said. The writings also say, in part, “frankly these parasites had it coming,” the officials said.

Thompson’s killing and the allegations against Mangione have stirred discourse and anger over the health insurance industry and the health care system in the U.S.

Before the shooting, Mangione had been missing for months. In mid-November, his family reported him missing to San Francisco police, according to a missing persons flyer in which his mother said she last spoke to her son on July 1.

He spent time in Hawaii in 2022 but aggravated long-standing back issues while surfing, those who knew him there have said.

Neither Mangione nor his parents were insured by UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group has said. Police have said the company may have been targeted because of its size.

Mangione is being held at Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, prison officials have said.