Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, appears in a Manhattan court on Monday on murder and terrorism charges in a state case that will run parallel to the federal prosecution he faces. object.
The 26-year-old was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.
At the start of his trial on Monday, Luigi Mangione decided to plead not guilty.
Federal charges can carry the death penalty, while the maximum penalty for state charges is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say the two cases will proceed in parallel, with the state's charges to go to trial first.
US authorities say Luigi Mangione shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on his way to an investors conference in midtown Manhattan on December 4.
A murder that was intended to “shock and attract attention”
The suspected shooter was arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald's after a five-day manhunt.
He was carrying a weapon that matched the one used in the shooting, a fake ID card and handwritten notes in which he expressed his hostility towards the health insurance industry and in particular its wealthy executivesaccording to federal prosecutors.
At a news conference announcing the state's charges last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the seriousness of a “scary, well-planned and targeted murder intended to shock, attract attention and intimidate”.
“Simply put, this is a murder intended to incite terror”he added. “And we saw this reaction”.
The insurance sector in the crosshairs
An Ivy-league college graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Luigi Mangione seemed to have isolated himself in recent months. He has repeatedly posted online about his problems with back pain. The young man was never a UnitedHealthcare customer, the insurer says.
The shooting victim, Brian Thompson, had worked for 20 years for the giant UnitedHealth Group and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
His assassination prompted many Americans to express their resentment toward U.S. health insurersand Luigi Mangione has become a symbol of the frustrations of part of the population with denials of coverage and heavy medical bills.
It also sent shockwaves through the corporate world, with many executives saying they had received a wave of death threats in recent weeks.
