What happened
New York prosecutors announced new charges against Luigi Mangione on Tuesday, including first-degree murder “in furtherance of an act of terrorism” in connection with the fatal shooting of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. The 10 other charges against Mangione, 26, include second-degree murder as an act of terrorism, second-degree murder and weapons charges.
Who said what?
The Dec. 4 killing of Thomason, 50, was “no ordinary murder,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters while outlining the charges. “This was a murder intended to cause terror. And we've seen that response.” First-degree murder in New York “involves only a narrow list of aggravating circumstances,” including terrorism, contract killing or the killing of a judge, police officer or first responder, CNN said.
Thompson's killing “triggered a violent outburst of resentment toward U.S. health insurance companies,” The Associated Press said, and “rooked the boardrooms as wanted posters with the names and faces of other health care executives appeared on New York streets and on some social networks. “ Media users praised Mangione’s act as “payback” for denied coverage, high bills and long delays in treatment. UnitedHealthcare said Mangione, who had serious back surgery, was never a customer.
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New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch criticized the “shocking and appalling celebration of a cold-blooded murder.”
What's next?
A conviction on the most serious charges could send Mangione to life in prison without parole. He has an extradition hearing scheduled for Thursday in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald's. Despite previous advice, Mangione will not fight extradition to New York, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo told CNN.
