Luigi Mangione, suspect in healthcare boss shooting, extradited to New York where he faces new federal charges

Friday 20th December 2024 02:15 GMT

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting dead UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, has arrived in New York where he faces new charges.

The 26-year-old was flown to Manhattan by plane and helicopter after he agreed to be extradited from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run.

He now faces fresh federal charges in relation to the shooting of father-of-two Brian Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan on 4 December.

The additional charges include murder using a firearm, two charges of stalking and an additional firearms offence.

The charge of murder by firearm could bring the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted - but prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue such a punishment.

Mangione waived his right to an extradition hearing at Blair County Court in Pennsylvania and was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.

The NYPD quickly led him to a waiting SUV and he then boarded a small plane bound for New York.

Mangione was arrested on 9 December after he was spotted at a McDonald's and charged with murder the next day.

On 18 December, he was charged with murder as an act of terrorism. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted. He could appear in New York state court for arraignment today or tomorrow.

Sky News previously reported how court documents said Mangione began shaking when officers asked if he had been in New York recently.

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Upon being arrested, authorities said Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Mr Thompson, a passport, a fake ID and about $10,000 in US and foreign currency.

Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies "parasitic" and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press last week.

In Pennsylvania, Mangione has been charged with forgery and illegally possessing an unlicensed gun.