Luigi Mangione latest: Top New York attorney tapped by CEO murder suspect as ‘defense fund’ donations mount

In a public response to the outpouring of rage against health insurance companies following the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company admitted America’s health care system “is flawed” as he mourned the loss of a “brilliant, kind man.”

In an op-ed titled “The health care system is flawed. Let’s fix it,” published in the New York Times on Friday, Andrew Witty, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group, wrote that he “understands people’s frustrations.”

The shocking case has prompted a wave of support for the suspect, Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with Thompson’s murder and is fighting extradition to New York, as Americans vent their frustrations with the state of health care.

“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” Witty said. “No one would design a system like the one we have.”

Rhian Lubin has the full story.

Mangione is being held in a small cell — 15 feet by six feet — with a bed, sink, toilet and a desk with a seat, Newsweek reported.

He “can look out the front of his cell where there is a window which provides natural light,” a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson told the outlet.

The 26-year-old has eaten all of his three meals each day in his cell and is “not interacting with other inmates at this time,” the spokesperson said.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spoken out about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

The congresswoman condemned the violence that took place in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, but says that those who had been denied health insurance claims may be interpreted as an “act of violence” against them.

Speaking to CBS News journalist Jaala Brown on Thursday, the Democrat said: “I think that this collective American experience [of healthcare], which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world, all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this event. And it’s really important that we take a step back.

“This is not to comment and this is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them.”

Luigi Mangione, the alleged perpetrator in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, reportedly suffered from chronic back pain.

Posts on the content-sharing platform Reddit under the now-defunct username “Mister_Cactus” appeared to reference the 26-year-old’s extensive health problems. The user referred to “spondy,” which is commonly known as spondylolisthesis.

Spondylolisthesis is a condition caused by a vertebra slipping out of place and putting pressure on the bones below. While it commonly occurs in older adults due to a type of arthritis, a common disease that causes joint inflammation and stiffness, it can also be brought on by trauma, spinal destabilization, bone disease, or a birth defect.

Julia Musto has the full story.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg believes the accused killer could waive his right to fight extradition, CNN is reporting.

“Indications are that the defendant may waive, but that waiver is not complete until a court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday,” Bragg reportedly said. “So until that time, we’re going to continue to press forward on parallel paths and we’ll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he’s going to contest extradition.”

Luigi Mangione is being held under maximum security conditions at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, according to correction officials.

Mangione, 26, does not get to interact with any other inmates and is in a cell by himself, however, he is not in solitary confinement, officials told CBS News. They said that he has not yet had outside time, before adding that he will eventually.

He has not been violent and is not under suicide watch or any psychological order, the officials said.

Mangione’s fellow prison inmates have called for his release claiming his “conditions suck”. The outlet spoke exclusively to those incarcerated along with the shooting suspect at his prison.

Mangione doesn’t have a TV in his cell and is forced to eat the prison’s “terrible” food, which includes fruit, grits, scrambled eggs and “porcupine meatballs” for lunch – which are actually made from beef, according to the NewsNation.

“Luigi’s conditions suck,” inmates shouted to correspondent Alex Caprariello from their cells in a segment aired on Thursday. “Free Luigi.”

Joe Rogan chalked up the country’s mixed reactions to the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO to the “dirty business” of health insurance.

Rogan and his guests, filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, discussed the December 4 death of Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Tuesday’s episode of the mega-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

The podcaster and his guests predicted there wouldn’t be much sympathy for the 50-year-old insurance executive due to the state of health insurance in the US.

“I don’t think anybody is going to be crying too hard over” Thompson’s death, Avary said.

“Maybe his family, but that’s about it,” Rogan replied. “It’s a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f***ing gross. It’s gross, especially healthcare insurance.”

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Mangione’s prison menu includes fruit, grits, scrambled eggs and “porcupine meatballs”—a dish made from ground beef and rice—for lunch, according to NewsNation. The menu went viral earlier this week. The outlet reported that the inmates inside the jail have complained about their conditions, including the food at the facility.