HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. — CEO of United Healthcare murder suspect Luigi Mangione is on his way back to New York City on Thursday waive extradition in Pennsylvania.
Mangione could appear before a judge in New York City for arraignment first-degree murder and terrorism charges in just a few hours.
The 26-year-old did not speak to reporters as he arrived at a Pennsylvania courthouse for his extradition hearing. NYPD detectives were on hand to ensure Mangione was transported to New York City for his arraignment.
Mangione is expected to appear in court in Manhattan on Thursday for arraignment. He is then expected to be held at Rikers Island, where he will be held in isolation and protective custody due to his high-profile status, sources said.
Mangione also expected to face federal charges, sources said
Two sources familiar with the case told CBS News that he is also expected to be charged with a federal crime in the case.
“The federal government’s reported decision to pursue an already highly charged case of first-degree murder and state terrorism is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory concerns about double jeopardy. We are prepared to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.” Manhattan prosecutor-turned-attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement Thursday morning.
“As alleged, this defendant brutally shot Mr. Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, working with our partners at the NYPD, is committed to securing justice for this gruesome murder, with charges of first-degree murder. A state case will proceed in parallel with any federal case,” the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a statement.
The New York Times was the first to report the expected federal indictment.
What it was like in the courtroom during the hearing
Mangione was turned over to the NYPD after the hearing. Ali Bauman of CBS News New York described the courtroom as packed. There were about a dozen NYPD officers in the front row waiting to take him back to New York.
“I mean, there were people sitting on the floor, people standing in the back. They were people waiting outside to get in. Right now, behind me, there are even supporters of Luigi standing outside here with signs that say ‘Free’. Luigi,” Bauman reported.
Dave Klug
Bauman said Mangione was clean-shaven, wearing an orange jumpsuit, with his hands and ankles shackled. He seemed more subdued than his last performance, Bauman reported, and “seemed relaxed, even smiling and even shrugging his shoulders at times, and was very expressive with his facial expressions.”
Mangione signed the waivers for his extradition. When the judge asked him directly if he wanted to waive, Mangione stood up and replied “yes.”
He was immediately taken into custody by the NYPD to be flown directly to New York, instead of first stopping at the Pennsylvania prison where he was being held.
Mangione’s attorney told the Pennsylvania court that things have changed since they initially fought the extradition last week. He said they have been in constant contact with his legal counsel in New York, and he is now confident this decision is in the best interests of his client.
“We’re ready now. We weren’t ready before. It’s in his best interest,” said Mangione’s attorney Tom Dickey.
There was a significant amount of downtime during the 90-minute hearing, Bauman reported. For some of it, Mangione whispered to his lawyer, sometimes smiling and shrugging, making very animated facial expressions as they spoke. But when his attorney left the desk alone to talk to the judge, Mangione read papers for him, spoke to the deputies standing next to him, and spent a while pretending to stare into space.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania prosecutors have not dropped forgery and firearms charges against him, and his next court appearance in Pennsylvania is scheduled for February.
What about the first degree murder charge?
“The terrorism charge exists because it is the necessary element to establish premeditated murder. Intentional murder in New York is only first-degree murder, and the difference is that you cannot get life in prison without parole unless you are convicted of first-degree murder. So they had to add the terrorism aggravated factor to bump it up to the first degree so they could try to get a life sentence without parole,” trial attorney Richard Schoenstein explained.
Schoenstein, who is not involved in the prosecution or defense in this case, offered an analysis of the charges.
“I think the theory is that this defendant wanted to send a message with this murder. As far as we know, he had no personal relationship with Brian Thompson. He had no individual complaint against him. This murder was intended to make a statement. about healthcare. And you can have all you want about healthcare, but shooting someone in the back on the street to make a statement, that’s not the way we make statements in this country to send a message. It’s arguably to instill fear in people who work in that sector, and maybe even convince them, I don’t know, to change what they’re doing. And I think that’s the kind of argument that will be made to support the charge of terrorism. he said.
What is an extradition hearing?
Extradition is the process by which a state (or nation) transfers a person accused or convicted of a criminal offense outside the territory of that state to the state where the criminal offense occurred so that the individual can be brought to trial in that state can be brought, after the state requests it.
An extradition hearing is the legal process in which evidence is reviewed to determine whether there is probable cause to grant the extradition request.
Waiving the hearing waives the review of evidence, meaning they can take the necessary steps to stand trial if a person is charged.
What if Mangione contested the extradition?
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she had a plan — and a warrant — in place if Mangione did not waive extradition.
“If that happens, I will send that order to the governor. He has told me he will sign it immediately and the extradition will take place,” Hochul said. ‘He may renounce that, there are rumors that he will renounce that and come back on his own. But I’m willing to bring him back here and make sure justice is served to someone who had the audacity to shoot every New Yorker. No matter what their title is, taking that brazen action on our streets must have serious consequences.”
‘The advantage is that he starts his business in New York. We already know that Pennsylvania has said they won’t move forward with their case until the New York case is concluded, so this means that once he gets here, he can actually start. be indicted and the case can begin regarding his indictment in New York,” said Anna Cominsky, professor at New York Law School.
Mangione’s life behind bars
While Mangione was held in Pennsylvania, he received dozens of emails and pieces of mail his arrest last week at a McDonald’s in Altoona, CBS News New York has learned.
He also had three visitors – his lawyers – including Friedman Agnifilo, who, before she became his lawyer, said in an interview that his best defense would be not guilty by reason of insanity.
Mangione is charged with murder and terrorism
Mangione was charged Tuesday with 11 chargesincluding premeditated murder in furtherance of terrorism, in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.
“This was a terrifying, well-planned, targeted killing designed to cause shock, attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, adding that the killing was “intended to incite terror.”
Among the evidence revealed in the indictment were the words ‘deny’ and ‘depose’ written on shell casings found on site, and “delay” written on one of the bullets. These are seen as a reference to a phrase used by critics of the insurance industry: the ‘three D’s of insurance’.
Authorities also recovered a document of about two to three pages in which Mangione allegedly expressed frustration with the healthcare industry.
Pat Milton and Robert Legare contributed to this report.
