Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month, has been charged with murder “as an act of terrorism”.
A grand jury indicted Mangione with the additional murder charge on Tuesday, according to New York prosecutors who have already accused him of a lesser second-degree murder charge in the December 4 killing.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatened the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day,” he added.
Mangione’s defence lawyer in New York, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not immediately comment on the new charge.
Under New York law, a terrorism charge can be brought when an alleged crime is “intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping”.
Thompson, 50, was shot dead as he walked to a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States, was holding an investor conference.
Arrested on a tip
After a lengthy manhunt, Mangione was arrested on December 9 in Pennsylvania following a tip from a McDonald’s employee.
Authorities have said a 3D-printed gun, a suppressor and several fake IDs, including one believed to be used by the attacker to check into a hostel in New York before the shooting, were recovered when Mangione was arrested.
Before entering court last week in shackles, Mangione gave a partly unintelligible message to reporters in which he could be heard referring to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people”.
At the brief hearing, his defence lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told the court that Mangione would contest extradition to New York, requesting a hearing on the issue. He remains in custody in Pennsylvania without bail.
While in court, Mangione wore an orange prison jumpsuit, alternating between staring forward, looking at papers and looking back at the gallery. He was quieted at one point by his lawyer when he attempted to speak.
The brazen nature of the killing and the apparent motive garnered national intrigue. Even while condemning the violence, many experts, doctors and US citizens said it was emblematic of the undercurrent of anger in the country towards the healthcare industry, where high costs leave many patients vulnerable to the will of insurers.
Bullet casings found at the scene of the killing bore the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose”, appearing to reference a phrase used by critics to describe how health insurers avoid claim payouts. The gunman fled via electric bike to Central Park, and later boarded a bus out of the city.
“Parasitic”
In the days since the attack, many have taken to social media to share accounts of insurance companies denying claims.
The law enforcement memo, which was based on Mangione’s writings, some of which were recovered at the time of his arrest, said that Mangione was likely motivated by what he described as “parasitic” health insurance companies and an overall disdain for corporate greed.
According to the memo, Mangione had written that the US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not.
Thompson, who grew up on a farm in small-town Iowa, was trained as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
Mangione comes from an influential family in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the valedictorian at an elite Baltimore prep school. He went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League school.
Known as affable and intelligent, some friends have said in interviews with US media that Mangione’s demeanour changed after recent surgery on his spine.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Delaware state legislator Nino Mangione.
“We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson, and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
