The suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson screamed “this is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people” outside a court hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
The hearing is meant decide whether Luigi Mangione, 26, should be extradited to New York City to face murder charges in the 4 December shooting.
Mangione appeared for the proceeding in handcuffs and an orange prison jumpsuit, and video showed him yelling as police led him into the courthouse. Not all of what he screamed was immediately intelligible.
Mangione was arrested on Monday at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with Thompson’s killing outside a Manhattan hotel hosting a meeting of investor’s in the CEO’s company.
The authorities in Pennsylvania detained him after being recognized by a local person from photographs released by New York police investigating the murder.
Police found Mangione with a firearm suppressor, a mask like the gunman’s, a fake New Jersey ID matching the one the police say the gunman used to check into the New York City hostel before the shooting, and a handwritten document, according to New York authorities.
On Monday night, Mangione was charged with second-degree murder, forgery and three gun charges by prosecutors in New York, following his arraignment at the Blair county courthouse in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he faces separate charges of carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to the authorities and possessing “instruments of crime”.
During the arraignment hearing on Monday, the judge asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea was entered and he was denied bail.
As detectives begin piecing together Mangione’s history, one area of focus has been the chronic back problems that he appears to have suffered since childhood.
Investigators could explore whether Mangione was denied insurance coverage for his condition.
He also appears to have withdrawn from social connections months earlier, prompting one to write on social media: “I don’t know if you are ok or just in a super isolated place … but I haven’t heard from you in months.”
The Mangione family released a statement on Monday evening, stating that the family was “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest”.
“We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved” they added.
