Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York last month, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, along with multiple weapons and forgery charges. The indictment supersedes an earlier criminal complaint filed after his arrest earlier this month.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described the killing as a 'brazen, targeted and fatal shooting' and vowed that such premeditated gun violence would not be tolerated. Mangione is being held without bail and is expected to appear in a Blair County court in Pennsylvania on Thursday for an extradition hearing. His lawyer told CNN that he will not fight extradition to New York.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned supporters of Mangione, who have portrayed him as a folk hero in some quarters due to public anger at healthcare insurers. 'There is no heroism in what Mangione did,' she said at a news conference.
Thompson, 50, was shot dead on 4 December as he walked to an investors' meeting in midtown Manhattan. Mangione fled the scene on an e-bike and was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a manhunt. Police found him in possession of a firearm suppressor, a mask, a fraudulent ID and a handwritten document.
