Grand jury indicts UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect on first-degree murder

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) announced Tuesday that a grand jury handed up an indictment against Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.  

Mangione faces 11 charges, including first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

The first-degree murder charge, which carries up to life in prison without parole, requires an aggravated factor. The indictment describes the alleged murder as furthering of an act of terrorism, casting the killing as an attempt to “intimidate or coerce” civilians and influence the policies and conduct of the government. 

The suspect faces eight additional charges: seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon in varying degrees and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.  

Bragg called the 26-year-old's alleged attack “brazen, targeted and premeditated” at a press conference Tuesday afternoon announcing the indictment. 

“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” the district attorney said. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day.” 

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, declined to comment. 

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down earlier this month outside New York Hilton Midtown, where he was set to address an annual investors meeting. 

Mangione, who emerged as a suspect after law enforcement released and widely spread his image, is in custody in Pennsylvania after he was spotted and arrested at a McDonald’s last week in Altoona, Pa.

Beyond the murder charges, the indictment accuses Mangione of illegally possessing an assault weapon, firearm silencer, two high-capacity magazines and a “ghost gun.” A forged instrument charge corresponds to possessing an alleged fake driver’s license. 

Prosecutors allege Mangione arrived in New York by bus on Nov. 24, more than a week before he allegedly killed Thompson. Mangione purportedly stayed at a hostel, extending his stay multiple times. 

Law enforcement that arrested Mangione at the McDonald's said he “became quiet and started to shake” after they asked whether he had been in New York recently. A ghost gun, silencer and writings expressing ill will toward corporate America were found on his person, linking him to the crime, police said. 

He is due to return to court Thursday for additional proceedings on his firearms charges in Pennsylvania, and New York’s attempt to extradite him to face the more serious charges contained in its indictment. 

Bragg said his office has “indications” Mangione may waive the extradition hearing, which would pave the way for his transfer to Manhattan. 

In the aftermath of Thompson’s killing, social media exploded with sympathy for the alleged shooter and anger at the health insurance industry. 

“Let me say this plainly: There is no heroism in what Mangione did,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tuesday. 

“We don't celebrate murders, and we don't lionize the killing of anyone, and any attempt to rationalize this is vile, reckless and offensive to our deeply held principles of justice,” she said. 

Updated at 4:24 p.m. EST