Luigi Mangione is fighting extradition and accused of murdering CEO

The man accused of fatally shooting health insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York faced off with police and shouted at reporters as he was led into court Tuesday, as more details emerged about a possible motive for the murder.

Luigi Mangione appeared at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, where his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, said the 26-year-old would contest being transferred to New York to face murder charges. “I haven’t seen any evidence that he’s the shooter,” he said.

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Mr. Mangione attempted to address reporters as he arrived for the hearing. He was heard shouting “completely unjust” and “an insult to the intelligence of the American people” before being hauled into court by officers.

He was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania following a days-long manhunt that spanned several states. He was reportedly found with a gun similar to the murder weapon, a silencer and a fake ID.

Mangione was released on bail for a second time on Tuesday after prosecutors said he was too dangerous to be released.

The judge then gave prosecutors 30 days to seek an order from New York Governor Kathy Hochul to secure his extradition to the state.

Hochul later said she would provide one. “I am coordinating with the Attorney General’s Office and will sign a request for a Governor’s Order to ensure this individual is brought to justice and held accountable,” she said.

Mr. Mangione looked around at the rows of reporters in the courtroom and smiled occasionally. At one point he interrupted his own lawyer, who quickly calmed him down.

After the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, that attorney, Mr. Dickey, spoke to reporters outside the court. “You can’t rush to judgment in this case or any other case,” he said. ‘He is presumed innocent. Let’s not forget that.’

Mr. Mangione has been charged in Pennsylvania with several offenses, including providing fraudulent identification to police and possessing an unlicensed firearm. He is being held in a Pennsylvania state prison and will plead not guilty.

In New York, he faces separate charges, including murder, for the Dec. 4 killing of Mr. Thompson. The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot by a masked man outside a Manhattan hotel in what police have described as a targeted attack.

Mr. Thompson was appointed CEO of the company, the largest privately held insurer in the US, in April 2021.

According to his widow, Paulette Thompson, he had received threats regarding medical coverage before his death, but prosecutors have not suggested a motive for his killing.

On Tuesday, however, as police sifted through the evidence and tried to piece together Mr. Mangione’s movements after the shooting, more details emerged about his alleged grievances with the health insurance industry.

New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Good Morning America that he read a three-page handwritten note that was reportedly found on the suspect when he was arrested.

“He does give some indication that he is frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” he said. “He wrote a lot about his disdain for corporate America and healthcare in particular.”

The note, seen by several US media outlets, reportedly refers to “parasites” that were “coming”. He would also write that he acted alone.

Former friends who spoke to the BBC said Mangione was suffering from a back injury. They said he left a surfing community in Hawaii in the summer of 2023 to undergo spinal surgery.

RJ Martin, a former roommate of the suspect who knew him in Hawaii, said the injury “prevented him at times from just doing a lot of normal things.”

Since his arrest, several details about Mr. Mangione’s background have emerged. He was born in Maryland to a wealthy, well-known family, and police say he has ties to San Francisco, California. His last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in software engineering.

Local media reported that Mangione’s mother reported him missing last month, telling authorities in San Francisco that she had not heard from her son since July.

“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement his cousin posted on social media. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and ask people to pray for everyone involved.”

With additional reporting from Nada Tawfik