The Latest: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New York
Luigi Nicholas Mangionesuspect in the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcareBrian Thompsonchallenged his extradition to New York during a court hearing on Tuesday, although this is not expected to significantly delay the legal proceedings.
However, little new information has emerged about a possible motive writings found in Mangione’s possession hinted at a hatred of corporate greed. He is still imprisoned in Pennsylvania.
Here’s the latest:
An X account linked to Mangione features recent posts about the negative effect of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming “well-adjusted to a deeply sick society.”
In addition to a three-page handwritten document suggesting he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione also a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace.
Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a silencer, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said.
He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the gunman and a fraudulent New Jersey ID that matched the ID the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, the chief said.
Mangione had suffered from severe back pain since childhood that disrupted many aspects of his life, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesman for a Honolulu co-living space where the suspect lived in 2022.
Mangione left Surfbreak to have surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, and later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image on a social media account linked to Mangione showed an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into a person’s lower back.
His grandfather was a self-made real estate developer and philanthropist.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement released by his cousin, Maryland Del. Nino Mangione, posted on social media late Monday. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for everyone involved.”
From January to June 2022, Luigi Mangione lived in Surfbreak, a co-living space on the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Josiah Ryan, spokesman for owner and founder RJ Martin, said he was widely regarded as a “great guy” even though he had long dealt with severe back pain that disrupted many aspects of his life.
Mangione, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead during Tuesday’s hearing in Pennsylvania, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair or looking back at the gallery. At one point he started talking to respond to the discussion in court, but was silenced by his lawyer.
Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told the court his client did not agree to extradition and wanted a hearing on the case.
Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said that while Mangione will create “additional hoops” for police to jump through by fighting extradition, this will not be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York.