ALTOONA, Pa. (Diya TV) — The man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was arraigned in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a day after his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona. The suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, was charged with murder and carrying a firearm used in the killing.
Mangione was taken into custody after he was identified by a customer of the McDonald’s, where he appeared disoriented and shouted at reporters as deputies escorted him. He will be extradited to New York, where prosecutors are preparing their case against him for the Manhattan shooting that took the life of Thompson last Wednesday.
At a brief court appearance Tuesday, Mangione’s attorney said his client would not waive extradition and would seek a hearing. Mangione was denied bail because of the violent nature of the crime. He wore an orange jumpsuit in court, occasionally glancing toward the gallery, and was briefly silenced by his attorney when he attempted to speak.
Authorities say Mangione had been carrying a document expressing anger toward corporate America and the health insurance industry when arrested. The document criticized the U.S. healthcare system and expressed disdain for “parasitic” companies. Mangione reportedly sympathized with “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, calling him a “political revolutionary” in social media posts.
New York investigators believed the shooting was premeditated. Surveillance footage and witness accounts indicated that Mangione waited outside a Manhattan hotel for Thompson and then ambushed him there. The shooting, conducted with a 9 mm pistol, is characterized as an attack.
Mangione’s arrest marks the end of a brief manhunt that started when Thompson was fatally shot. The police found Mangione sitting in McDonald’s with a laptop and a medical mask. He initially provided a false identity, but the police officers became suspicious of him because he became nervous while under questioning. The police then found a fake identity card and a gun almost the same as the one used to kill Thompson.
Mangione is from a wealthy real estate family in Maryland and was educated at the University of Pennsylvania in computer science. Friends and family were stunned, and his cousin, Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione issued statements to express condolences to the Thompson family.
The case has garnered attention not only for Mangione’s motivation but also for his background. Authorities are trying to assemble his movements in the days leading up to the crime.
