The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO is returning to New York to face murder charges after agreeing to be extradited, on Thursday, December 19, during a court appearance in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run.
Luigi Mangione waived his right to an extradition hearing and was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department officers, who were in the courtroom and quickly led him to a waiting SUV.
Mangione glanced back and forth while being ushered outside to begin his trip to New York, but he stepped quietly into the SUV, contrasting his last court appearance when he struggled with deputies and shouted at reporters. He then boarded a small plane used by the NYPD and was bound for the New York area.
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said he wanted to turn Mangione over to New York authorities as soon as possible. Weeks said he was willing to put the Pennsylvania charges on hold. "He is now in their custody. He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York," Weeks said.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and shooting Brian Thompson, on December 4, outside a Manhattan hotel where the head of the United States' largest medical insurance company was walking to an investor conference.
Authorities have said Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, fake IDs and about $10,000 when he was arrested while eating breakfast on December 9 at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Mangione, who initially fought attempts to extradite him, made two brief court appearances Thursday, first waiving a preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges before agreeing to be sent back to New York. There, he has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, and could face life in prison without parole if he's convicted.
Investigators believe Mangione was motivated by anger toward the US healthcare system and corporate greed. Yet he was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.
Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies "parasitic" and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press (AP) last week.
Video of the attack showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind and then firing several more shots. The suspect eluded police despite authorities widely circulating photos of his unmasked face until Mangione was captured in Altoona, about 277 miles (446 kilometers) west of New York.
One of his lawyers has cautioned the public against prejudging the case.