Murder of a health insurance giant: the suspect would have “carefully” prepared the assassination

The investigation is progressing and seems to leave little doubt about the nature of the facts. This Thursday, December 20, Luigi Mangione, a brilliant former student from a wealthy family in Baltimore, appeared for the first time in federal justice in New York, after being arrested for the murder of Brian Thompson on December 4. . He was finally caught in the small rural town of Altoona, 500 km west of New York, after a five-day run.

An “act of terrorism”

Among the charges set out by federal judge Katharine Parker, the 26-year-old American is accused of having used a firearm to kill, in the heart of New York's business district, the CEO of the country's largest private health insurer, UnitedHealthcare.

In addition to the charges already issued by the local Manhattan prosecutor's office, the 26-year-old man was also charged with first degree murder in connection with an act of terrorism. “This decision seemed to take his lawyers by surprise”reports CNN. According to a press release from the US Department of Justice, the facts for which Luigi Mangione is charged are punishable by the death penalty or life in prison.

A premeditation that is confirmed

In a document summarizing the charges, investigators also said they had no doubt that Luigi Mangione had planned his act. Their assertion is based, among other things, on a notebook found on him during his arrest. It was written there on the date of “8/15” (August 15) that “the target is insurance”because she “checks all the boxes”. As of October 22, 2024, he adds: “1.5 months. An investor conference is a real godsend”. On the morning of December 4, Brian Thompson was scheduled to attend an investor conference.

Since his arrest, the young man has received a lot of support on social networks, illustrating deep anger towards a system accused of prioritizing profit over care and unfairly refusing medical care. For American justice, “Mangione carefully planned the execution of Brian Thompson in an effort to spark a public debate about the health care industry.” But Manhattan federal prosecutor Edward Y. Kim insisted: “It wasn’t a debate, it was murder.” The New York police also expressed concern, in an internal memo, that the suspect would become a “example to follow”.

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  Murder of a health insurance giant: these questions that arise after the arrest of Luigi Mangione

After the charges were filed, Luigi Mangione was incarcerated in a federal prison in New York. Charges having been issued by both the local prosecutor's office and the federal justice system, the suspect is expected to appear twice, first in local court before his federal trial. Federal prosecutors are then expected to seek a grand jury indictment.