What’s next for alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione after he pleads not guilty
Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as at the federal level
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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges in New York.
Mangione is accused of killing Thomspon outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4. Police arrested him on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania after they received a tip he was eating a meal inside a McDonald’s.
Here’s what’s next for Mangione as he faces charges at the federal level and in two states:
Court appearances so far
Mangione’s first court appearance was an arraignment in Pennsylvania on December 10, one day after he was arrested in the town of Altoona. Police detained him after receiving a tip he was eating at a McDonald’s.
Mangione struggled with police and shouted to reporters standing nearby as he was escorted into his first hearing.
“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience,” he yelled.
Then, on December 19, Mangione was flown from Pennsylvania to New York after waiving his right to an extradition hearing. Several heavily armed NYPD officers, alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams, escorted Mangione.
Mangione appeared in the New York State Supreme Court on December 23 for an arraignment hearing, pleading not guilty to the 11 charges he faces in the state, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and multiple weapons offenses.
Demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse in support of Mangione. Many held signs decrying the insurance industry, with phrases such as “Health over wealth”, and “UHC kills, death by denials.” Others supported Mangione with signs that read, “Free Luigi.”
What has Mangione been charged with?
In New York, Mangione faces 11 charges. Prosecutors have hit him with first-degree murder, which they describe as an “act of terrorism”; second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism; second-degree murder; second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; and several counts related to weapon possession.
At the federal level, prosecutors charged Mangione with two counts of interstate stalking, one count of murder through use of a firearm and one count of using a firearm silencer during a violent crime. Prosecutors said the state and federal two cases will run on parallel tracks, and that the New York charges will likely go to trial first.
In response, Mangione’s attorney Karen Agnifilo condemned the federal charges.
“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” she said in a statement. “We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”
However, the Supreme Court in 2019 upheld a longstanding constitutional rule that allows state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime, according to the Associated Press.
While New York abolished the death penalty in 2007, Mangione could still face capital punishment in the federal case.
In Pennsylvania, he faces charges related to officials’ alleged discovery of a 3D-printed gun and fake ID cards in his possession when he was arrested. Police also say they found a silencer, a 262-word manifesto and a spiral notebook containing a “to-do list”.
However, these charges likely won’t be addressed until after the New York case is resolved.
Where is Mangione being held?
Mangione is being held without bail in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. There, several other high-profile people are incarcerated, including former head of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean “Diddy” Combs, the rapper accused of sex trafficking and other crimes.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were also once held at the prison.
The notorious Brooklyn facility, the only federal lockup in the city, has been variously described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy” because of deplorable conditions, rampant violence, dysfunction and multiple deaths, according to the Associated Press.
The federal Bureau of Prisons has said it is increasing staffing to make up for staggering shortfalls, but conditions have been so stark at the jail, which houses about 1,100 inmates, that some judges have refused to send people there.
When is Mangione’s next court date?
Mangione is set to appear in federal court on January 18. He could return to court for a bail hearing or for a preliminary hearing if prosecutors don’t get a grand jury indictment by mid-January, the Associated Press reports.
His next scheduled appearance in New York is set for February 21.
What prosecutors and Mangione’s attorneys have said
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called Thompson’s murder “frightening” and “well planned.”
“This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror and we’ve seen that reaction,” Bragg said last week. “This was not an ordinary killing. Not to suggest that any killing is ordinary, but this was extraordinary.”
Acting US Attorney Edward Kim issued a statement claiming Thompson was killed in “cold blood” as the Justice Department announced the federal charges against Mangione.
“Brian Thompson was gunned down in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan,” Kim said. “Thompson was allegedly killed just because he held the position of chief executive officer of a health insurance company.”
“As alleged, Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight in front of a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country,” he continued. “But this wasn’t a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges.”
Agnifilo told New York Judge Gregory Carro at the December 23 arraignment that she was concerned about getting her client a fair trial. She cited Adams’s presence among the several heavily armed officials who escorted Mangione as he was flown in from Pennsylvania.
“They are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle,” Agnifilo said in court. “He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest stage perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career, it was absolutely unnecessary. He’s been cooperative with law enforcement...There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles.”
“It was perfectly choreographed, and what was the New York City Mayor doing at this press conference, your honor? That just made it utterly political,” she continued.