Luigi Mangione faces a potential life sentence for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Charged with first- and second-degree murder, Mangione is accused of assassinating Thompson. His alleged motive, detailed in a manifesto, stemmed from anger towards the US for-profit healthcare system.
A Manhattan grand jury handed down the indictments on Monday, according to District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Currently in Pennsylvania custody, Mangione’s extradition to New York is being pursued, Bragg stated.
A first-degree murder conviction carries a 20-years-to-life sentence, while each of the two second-degree murder charges carries a 15-years-to-life sentence. First-degree murder charges are uncommon in New York, typically reserved for cases involving the deaths of law enforcement, judges, first responders, contract killings, or acts of terrorism.
Bragg specified that one second-degree murder charge is for murder “as an act of terrorism.”
On December 4th, Thompson was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel by a masked assailant. Five days later, Mangione was apprehended in Pennsylvania; police recovered a gun and silencer matching those used in the murder, a handwritten manifesto, fake identification, and a face mask.
Mangione’s manifesto included the statement, “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming,” citing the high cost of US healthcare versus its comparatively low life expectancy ranking. He further wrote, “It is not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play,” concluding, “Evidently I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty.”
Mangione has gained online support from some on the American left, while an Emerson College poll revealed that 41% of 18-29-year-olds viewed his alleged actions as “acceptable.” A Florida woman’s arrest for threatening Blue Cross Blue Shield appears to be a copycat crime inspired by Mangione’s alleged actions.