Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassin Fights Extradition To New York

Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murder in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is fighting extradition to New York, setting off a process that could last weeks, The New York Times reported.

Mangione’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told the judge in a hearing on Tuesday afternoon that his client “is contesting” the extradition. The suspected assassin was arrested on gun and forgery charges in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday before he was charged with second-degree murder in New York.

Now that Mangione has decided to fight the extradition, he is entitled to an evidentiary hearing, which will require the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to put up a witness. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will also have to submit a “governor’s warrant” to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, requesting the extradition, according to the Times.

The lawyer told the judge that Mangione was wearing a mask during his arrest because of his fear of COVID. Mangione reportedly began to say, “I bought the mask —” before his lawyer shushed him and said, “No, no. Don’t say a word.”

The assassin was masked when he gunned down Thompson, a shooting that was caught on surveillance footage. The NYPD later circulated photos showing a person of interest lowering his mask in the lobby of a Manhattan hostel. NYPD authorities credited those photos as the key to Mangione’s arrest. A person at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s — where the suspect stopped for lunch after getting off a Greyhound bus — recognized Mangione from the photos circulated by the NYPD.

The suspect’s lawyer requested the judge to set bail, but the judge refused, and Mangione will be held behind bars in Pennsylvania during his extradition process.

While many states consider a premeditated killing first-degree murder, New York reserves the first-degree murder charge for killing for hire, killing a person in law enforcement, killing a witness, killing while serving a long sentence, and killing with torture, according to the Times. First- and second-degree murder convictions in New York can result in life in prison, but the minimum sentence differs from 15 years under second-degree murder and 20 years under first-degree murder.

On his way into the courthouse, Mangione was restrained by sheriff’s deputies as he shouted at reporters gathered outside the building.

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“It’s completely [inaudible] and an insult to the intelligence of the American people,” he shouted. NewsNation Senior National Correspondent Brian Entin reported that Mangione said, “It’s completely an injustice,” but it’s difficult to decipher the exact quote. The New York Times reported that he yelled, “That’s completely out of touch …”

BREAKING: Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer has outburst while being led to extradition hearing

“This is completely unjust and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” pic.twitter.com/7QQEHhDxsK

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 10, 2024