UnitedHealthcare CEO’s latest murder: Luigi Mangione charged with first-degree murder as terrorism in New York

Luigi Mangione has been charged in New York with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the grand jury has upgraded the charge to first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Mangione, 26, is also charged with: two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as homicide as an act of terrorism; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

“This type of intentional, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Tuesday.

In Pennsylvania, where Mangione remains in custody, he is accused of, among other things, possessing an untraceable ghost weapon.

He is expected to waive extradition from Pennsylvania at his next court appearance at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Mangione has hired Karen Friedman Agnifilo as his lawyer in New York. She was a 25-year veteran of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and its deputy for eight years.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 after nearly a week on the run. He is accused of shooting Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO went to an investor conference.

“Just a cold-blooded, terrible murder,” President-elect Donald Trump said at a news conference Monday.

Thompson’s murder sparked anger online at the health insurance industry. Many people online celebrated the suspect and some donated to a defense fund for Mangione.

“It’s really terrible that some people seem to admire him like he does,” Trump said.

“It seems there is some desire for him. I don’t understand it,” Trump added.

Sources said documents from Mangione seized by police indicate that he was fixated on UnitedHealthcare for months and gradually developed a plan to kill the CEO.

Among the writings recovered from Mangione, law enforcement officials said, was a passage that allegedly said, “What are you doing? They beat up the CEO at the annual convention of parasitic bean counters.”

Neither Mangione nor his parents have insurance through UnitedHealthcare, the company said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.