The 26-year-old man charged with the murder of a UnitedHealth executive in New York plans to contest his extradition from Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended, according to his defense attorney’s statement to a judge.
The accused, Luigi Mangione, was denied bail for the second time.
Mr. Mangione, clad in an orange jumpsuit, shouted and resisted officers as he was escorted from a vehicle into the courtroom.
His decision to contest extradition initiates a formal process that could extend for weeks, though legal experts believe he is unlikely to succeed in halting his eventual transfer.
In New York, he faces charges for the murder of Brian Thompson, culminating a widespread manhunt.
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Mr. Mangione shouted something partially unintelligible upon arriving at the court, mentioning an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.”
Investigators are working to trace his movements in Pennsylvania over the preceding days and whether he had an accomplice before or after the shooting outside a Manhattan hotel.
Mr. Mangione was located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a customer and employee at a McDonald’s recognized him as resembling the gunman, officials reported at a news conference.
When two police officers approached him in the restaurant and inquired if he had been in New York recently, he reportedly began to tremble and went silent, according to one of the responding officers.
The suspect was sitting alone with a laptop and backpack, wearing a mask.
A search of the backpack at the police station revealed a black “ghost gun”—a firearm assembled from parts, rendering it untraceable—loaded with a magazine and a silencer.
Pennsylvania authorities noted that the weapon, along with certain clothing and a mask, matched what the suspect was seen wearing.
Mr. Mangione was arraigned at the Blair County courthouse in Altoona last night, facing charges related to firearms and forgery.
The judge asked if he understood the charges, to which he responded affirmatively. No plea was entered at that time.
Prosecutors in New York have charged him with murder and four associated gun offenses, according to court documents.
Pennsylvania prosecutors highlighted the discovery of false identification and a substantial amount of cash on Mr. Mangione, arguing that he posed a flight risk; as a result, bail was denied.
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In addition to the gun, several electronic devices were found in the suspect’s possession and are currently being analyzed by authorities.
Police in Pennsylvania are investigating whether Mr. Mangione had accomplices and if he had any plans to harm others.
They indicated he had been in the state for several days and were looking into his activities during that time.
A Maryland native, Mr. Mangione possessed multiple fraudulent forms of identification, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days prior to the shooting.
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel last Wednesday.
Additionally, police uncovered a handwritten note detailing “both his motivation and his mindset,” according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Although the note did not specify particular targets, Mr. Mangione was noted to harbor “ill will toward corporate America,” commented NYPD’s Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
Mr. Mangione graduated as valedictorian from a private all-boys school in Baltimore in 2016 before obtaining dual engineering degrees in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a prominent Ivy League institution, as verified by academic records.
Officials noted that his last known address was in Honolulu.
What we know about UnitedHealth CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione:
Authorities stated that Mr. Thompson, 50, seemed to have been specifically targeted outside a Manhattan hotel last Wednesday, and they are investigating if others may also have been in danger.
Words such as “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were found inscribed on shell casings at the scene, as reported by multiple news outlets.
These terms reference a book critical of the insurance industry titled ‘Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,’ published in 2010.
Police have indicated Mr. Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.
A Facebook profile seemingly belonging to Mr. Mangione identified him as having grown up in Towson, Maryland, and as a former student at the University of Pennsylvania.
Some photos suggest he attended Stanford University and wore Stanford-branded attire.
Reports indicate that Mr. Mangione dealt with chronic back pain that affected his daily life.
On his profile on X, he featured a background image of an x-ray displaying what appeared to be screws and plates in his lower back.
His family issued a statement expressing their shock and devastation over Luigi’s arrest, stating, “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” in a message released via Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione’s X account.
They offered prayers for Brian Thompson’s family and requested the community to pray for all involved.
Mr. Thompson, a father of two, had been the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit since April 2021, contributing to a 20-year career with the organization.
He had traveled to New York to attend the company’s annual investor conference.
