USA. Luigi Mangione accused of murdering the head of UnitedHealthcare

Mangione, 26, is suspected of shooting Bran Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest American insurance company, last Wednesday in Manhattan. He was arrested in Pennsylvania and the murder charge triggers an extradition process to New York that could take days or weeks, according to CNN. He has not been arrested before in New York.

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Late Monday evening, New York prosecutors formally charged him with Thompson's murder. Mangione remains in custody in Pennsylvania on existing charges of possessing an illegal firearm and identifying himself to police with false identification documents.

The man was denied bail during his hearing, which means he will be returned to custody at the Huntingdon State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, where he will also await a possible extradition trial.

According to police, Mangione – a graduate of a prestigious university and from a family of well-known real estate agents in Maryland – was carrying a gun with which he probably shot Thompson.

– Unfortunately, we cannot comment on the reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest, wrote his cousin Nino Mangione, a Republican from the state government in Maryland.

Mangione traveled throughout Pennsylvania after the murder, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and Altoona. In the latter town, he was recognized on Monday morning at a McDonald's restaurant.

As described by the BBC, Mangione struggled with police officers while being escorted to the court in Pennsylvania – where the extradition hearing is taking place. His lawyer, Thomas Dickey, said the 26-year-old would oppose the transfer to New York and did not plan to plead guilty.

Mangione also turned to reporters and shouted, “totally unfair” and “insulting to the intelligence of the American people.” It was unclear what he was referring to.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would sign the Manhattan District Attorney's extradition request “to ensure that this person is prosecuted and held accountable.”

The New York Times reported that when he was arrested, Mangione was carrying a handwritten manifesto expressing his frustration with the way the health care industry operates. “These parasites simply deserved it,” Mangione allegedly wrote.

In the text, he stated, among other things, that “the American health care system is the most expensive in the world, while the USA ranks 42nd in the world in terms of average life expectancy of its inhabitants.” – He wrote a lot about his contempt for American companies, especially the health care industry – said Joseph Kenny, a representative of the New York Police Department, on the “Good Morning America” ​​television program.

Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that limited his daily life. He worked as a data engineer in a car selling company. A Mangione colleague who spoke to Reuters described him as “extremely intelligent” and friendly. He added that the company offers health insurance to employees through UnitedHealthcare, among others.

Thompson's killing revealed the scale of frustration among Americans struggling with health care and those who have been denied claims or care. According to “NYT”, the police fear that part of society considers Mangione “a martyr” or even a “role model”.

– In some dark corners, a murderer is welcomed as a hero. Look, he's no hero. The real hero in this story is the person at McDonald's who called the police (helping to arrest Mangione – ed.) – emphasized Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.