Luigi Mangione, the accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer, will face a Manhattan judge for the second time in five days on Monday, but the first time federal authorities or the state have brought charges against him. It is still unclear whether it will be released.
Mangione, 26, was turned over by federal agents to the New York City Police Department in the morning and is expected to be taken to state court for arraignment on murder charges.
On Thursday, he faced Magistrate Judge Katherine Parker down the street in Manhattan federal court.
It has not yet been decided whether the state or federal jurisdiction will try Mangione first.
“This is a very unusual situation that we find ourselves in,” Parker acknowledged in court last week.
The execution-style shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4th occurred after he was arrested munching on hash browns at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. The suspect was taken to the Big Apple last week.
Mr. Mangione, who was indicted Thursday on federal murder, firearms and stalking charges, was also indicted in state court last week on 11 counts, including first-degree murder in aid of terrorism (a law rarely used) and first-degree murder in aid of terrorism (a law rarely used). The charges include second-degree murder and several counts of illegal gun possession.
Follow the latest information on the murder case of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson:
The Empire State does not have the death penalty, so the maximum charge in this case is life in prison without parole, but a federal conviction would leave the death penalty an option.
Mr. Mangione is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, but was transferred to federal court in Manhattan and is expected to be turned over to the New York Police Department on Monday, officials said.
Police then plan to take him to Manhattan Supreme Court for arraignment on state charges.
The decision on whether he will be tried in federal or state court will ultimately be made by a federal judge, but when and which jurists will make the decision is still up in the air. .
The gunman shot and killed Thompson, 50, with a ghost gun outside the Midtown Hilton Hotel before fleeing the 5th Ward, riding off on a Citi Bike and jumping on a bus.
After a five-day nationwide manhunt, Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he stopped at a local McDonald's after getting off a Greyhound bus that was passing through town.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate and scion of a wealthy Baltimore real estate family, had been planning the murder for months over complaints with the “parasitic” health insurance industry, authorities said.
In a dark twist, the suspected murderer has become a cult hero for some of the health insurance company's detractors, even producing merchandise with slogans such as “Free Luigi” and “Refuse him.” The latter comes from the words engraved on the bullet he is said to have used. .
Earlier this month, Amazon removed some products from its online marketplace.
