UnitedHealth executive murder suspect faces court for extradition to New York

(Reuters) – The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania court on Thursday morning for a hearing on a request by New York to extradite him to Manhattan to face murder charges.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, five days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel before a corporate conference in what law enforcement officials say was a premeditated assassination.

A grand jury in New York indicted Mangione on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione has been in prison since his arrest. His New York defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, declined to comment on the allegations against Mangione.

Police in Pennsylvania said Mangione had a homemade 9mm handgun in his backpack and a homemade silencer when he was arrested after being seen at a McDonald's restaurant. The pistol was similar to the weapon used to kill Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer.

Mangione, a Maryland native who had been living in Hawaii, also had several fake identification documents, including a fake New Jersey ID that was used to check into a Manhattan hostel just days before Thompson's shooting, police said.

In Pennsylvania, Mangione was charged with forgery and illegal possession of an unlicensed weapon. A preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania charges is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Blair County Courthouse.

A second hearing to discuss extradition to New York is scheduled before Judge David Consiglio at the same courthouse. Under Pennsylvania law, Mangione can waive his right to extradition proceedings if he tells the judge he agrees to be transferred to New York custody.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday he had indications Mangione would not challenge New York's extradition efforts.

Bragg's office is accusing Mangione of committing an act of terrorism under New York law because Thompson's killing was intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or “influence the policy of a government entity.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Donna Bryson and Jonathan Oatis)