A Manhattan grand jury indicted Luigi Mangione on Tuesday for murder as an act of terrorism in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to newly released court records.
According to the indictment, Mangione faces 11 counts, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in Thompson’s death on December 4 in New York, as well as additional weapon and forgery charges.
Prosecutors accuse the 26-year-old of killing Thompson “in furtherance of an act of terrorism,” which is legally defined as attempting to intimidate or coerce the civilian population or a government unit.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, attention, and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
A gunman opened fire “in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, and commuters and business people just starting out on their day,” Mr. Bragg stated.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told CNN that he will not fight his extradition to New York. He is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania court for an extradition hearing on Thursday, during which a judge will rule on the next steps in his return to New York to face the indictment.
If convicted, he faces a life sentence without parole, according to Bragg’s office.
Mangione, a former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate from a wealthy family, appeared to be motivated by rage against the health insurance industry and “corporate greed,” according to a New York Police Department intelligence report obtained by CNN.
The murder of Thompson, a husband and father of two, has exposed many Americans’ rage toward the health-care industry and instilled fear in C-suites across the country. The NYPD intelligence report warns that online rhetoric may “signal an elevated threat facing executives in the near-term.”
Bragg stated, “This was a killing intended to instill terror, and we’ve seen the reaction. This was not a routine killing. Not to say that any killing is normal, but this was extraordinary.”
In the weeks since Thompson’s death, officials have seen a “shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Tuesday. “Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.”
“It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk,” Tisch said. “We don’t celebrate murders and we don’t lionize the killing of anyone, and any attempt to rationalize this is vile, reckless and offensive to our deeply held principles of justice.”
A first-degree murder charge is uncommon because it necessitates the presence of specific elements related to the crime.
Under New York law, murder in the first degree only applies to a narrow list of aggravating circumstances, including when the victim is a judge, a police officer, or a first responder; or when the killing involves a murder-for-hire or an intent to commit terrorism.
The intent to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population” – at the heart of the terrorism statute – is “borne out” in the sustained increase in concern among CEOs and corporations since the killing, according to Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner of the NYPD’s Intelligence & Counterterrorism unit.
“We’ve had real world activity that the police commissioner flagged, which is abhorrent, and it causes concern,” Weiner told the crowd.
