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MANHATTAN (CN) — Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday secured a grand jury indictment against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Dec. 4.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday at a press conference announcing the charges. “It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of the city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and business people just starting their day.”
Mangione faces one count of murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
The first degree murder count and one of the second degree murder counts are terrorism charges, Bragg explained. In the indictment, those charges are described as murder “with intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”
“In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to invoke terror — and we’ve seen that reaction,” Bragg said, referencing the outpouring of online support for Mangione that followed a CCTV clip of the assassination going viral.
Certain corners of the internet have celebrated Mangione for his apparent motivations behind the killing. According to several reports, Mangione’s online footprint showed disdain for the for-profit healthcare industry. Police found the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” printed on shell casings near the site of the shooting, seemingly a reference to a rallying cry for detractors of the industry — “Delay, deny, defend” — which refers to insurers delaying payment on claims, denying claims and then defending their actions.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch chided the online praise for Mangione. Since the killing, she said, other New Yorkers have “ghoulishly plastered posters threatening other CEOs with an X over Mr. Thompson’s picture, as though he was some sort of sick trophy.”
“In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompson’s killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold blooded murder,” Tisch said at the press conference. “Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.”
Tisch continued: “Let me say this plainly, there is no heroism in what Mangione did.”
She added that some “activists” were reportedly circulating the names of other CEOs that they would like to see be targeted for assassination.
“These are the threats of a lawless, violent mob who would trade in their own vigilantism for the rule of law that protects us all,” Tisch said.
Bragg said that local authorities are responding to an increase in concerns from CEOs and corporations about the enthusiasm surrounding Thompson’s killing, implying a fear of copycat attacks.
“I just can’t wrap my head around the notion that someone is celebrating this,” Bragg said.
According to Bragg, Mangione arrived at Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan on Nov. 24. He then checked into an Upper West Side hostel using a fake New Jersey ID with the name Mark Rosario.
The morning of Dec. 4, Bragg claims Mangione left his hostel at 5:34 a.m. and took an e-bike to midtown. From 5:52 a.m. to 6:45 a.m., Mangione paced around the Hilton Hotel where Thompson was staying. He bought a water bottle and granola bars at a nearby Starbucks at 6:15 a.m.
Bragg says that at 6:45 a.m., Mangione used a 3D-printed 9-millimeter ghost gun, equipped with a silencer, to kill Thompson with one shot in his back and one in his leg.
Mangione then supposedly fled towards Central Park, took an e-bike uptown, transferred to a taxi that dropped him off in Upper Manhattan, then fled the state.
“This was not an ordinary killing,” Bragg told reporters. “This was extraordinary.”
Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, wasarrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Dec. 9 after an employee recognized him from photos put out by law enforcement. He has remained in custody in the Keystone State whilefighting his extradition to New York to face charges prosecutors outlined in awarrant unsealed last week.
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