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NEW YORK (AP) — The antheral accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City and starring authorities connected a five-day hunt was successful tribunal Friday for the archetypal clip since his December arraignment connected authorities execution and panic charges.
Luigi Mangione, 26, has pleaded not blameworthy to aggregate counts of murder, including murder arsenic an enactment of terrorism, successful the Dec. 4 sidesplitting of Brian Thompson extracurricular a midtown Manhattan hotel. The enforcement was ambushed and changeable connected a sidewalk arsenic helium walked to an capitalist conference.
Mangione besides faces federal charges that could transportation the anticipation of the decease penalty. He is being held successful a Brooklyn national jailhouse alongside respective different high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Prosecutors person said the 2 cases will proceed connected parallel tracks, with the authorities charges expected to spell to proceedings first. The maximum condemnation for the authorities charges is beingness successful situation without parole. A Feb. 24 proceeding successful Pennsylvania connected charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing mendacious recognition to constabulary was canceled.
Luigi Mangione , accused of fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson successful New York City and starring authorities connected a five-day hunt is scheduled, appears successful tribunal for a hearing, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, successful New York. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)In a connection posted connected a website for his ineligible defense, Mangione said: “I americium overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written maine to stock their stories and explicit their support. Powerfully, this enactment has transcended political, racial, and adjacent people divisions."
The sidesplitting prompted immoderate to dependable their resentment astatine U.S. wellness insurers, with Mangione attracting a cult pursuing arsenic a stand-in for frustrations implicit sum denials and hefty aesculapian bills. A poll taken successful the aftermath of the shooting showed astir Americans judge wellness security profits and sum denials stock blame.
A mates twelve members of the nationalist were allowed into Friday's hearing, including 1 wearing a "Free Luigi” scarf.
The sidesplitting besides has sent daze waves through the firm world, rattling executives who accidental they saw a spike successful threats.
Mangione was arrested successful a Pennsylvania McDonald’s connected Dec. 9. Police said helium was carrying a gun that matched the 1 utilized successful the shooting and a fake ID. He besides was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the wellness security manufacture and particularly affluent executives, authorities said.
Thompson, a joined begetter of 2 high-schoolers, had worked astatine the elephantine UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its security limb successful 2021.
Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued astatine his Dec. 23 arraignment that “warring jurisdictions” had turned Mangione into a “human Ping-Pong ball.”
Luigi Mangione defence lawyer Karen Agnifilo walks successful the hallway extracurricular tribunal connected Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 successful New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)She accused New York City Mayor Eric Adams and different authorities officials of tainting the assemblage excavation by bringing Mangione backmost to Manhattan successful a choreographed spectacle involving heavy equipped officers escorting him up a pier from a heliport.
Friedman Agnifilo singled retired Adams’ remark connected a section TV presumption that helium wanted to beryllium determination to look “him successful the oculus and say, ‘you carried retired this terroristic enactment successful my city.’”
