A whirlwind day for Luigi Mangione ends with new charges, revelations from a notebook and transfer to a federal prison
CNN
By Eric Levenson and Ray Sanchez, CNN
(CNN) — Luigi Mangione had a busy Thursday, with a whirlwind two-state courthouse tour turned spectacle featuring a helicopter ride, a throng of escorts – including the mayor of New York City at one point – and new revelations of his alleged intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO.
The 26-year-old murder suspect began his day at a jail in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, his home for the last 10 days, and ended it in a notorious federal prison in New York.
Along the way, he participated in three court hearings, was hit with four new charges, and hopped a ride in several vehicles, a plane and a helicopter – with cameras tracking him nearly every step of the way. Tourists were seen nearby taking videos and photos upon his arrival at a Manhattan heliport.
The eventful day came two weeks after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, sparking a dayslong manhunt for a bushy-browed suspect that ultimately led to Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Investigators believe Mangione, a former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate born into a well-to-do family, appeared to be driven by anger against the health insurance industry and “corporate greed,” according to a New York City Police Department intelligence report obtained by CNN.
The targeted killing of a health care insurance executive unleashed what some observers describe as Americans’ pent-up anger and frustration with the nation’s health insurance industry. Mangione’s striking physical appearance, too, has given him a quasi-folk hero status online – or at least a sympathetic hearing from those with their own health care insurance issues.
Mangione has been indicted on 11 charges in New York, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. He has not yet pleaded to the charges.
He also faces charges in Pennsylvania in connection to the 3D-printed firearm and false ID allegedly in his possession when he was arrested. Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said he would not push to have those charges heard ahead of Mangione’s much more serious charges in New York.
And a federal complaint against him was unsealed midday Thursday adding four new charges and providing new details on a notebook authorities say was in his possession.
The state trial against Mangione will come before his federal trial, prosecutors said.
Here’s a look at the course of his day from dawn to dusk.
Reports of new federal charges
Early Thursday, sources told CNN’s Kara Scannell that Mangione was expected to face federal charges related to the CEO’s shooting.
His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, issued a statement criticizing the existing case and the potential federal case.
“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” she said. “We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”
Hearings in Pennsylvania
On Thursday morning, Mangione arrived at the Blair County courthouse in Hollidaysburg clean-shaven and wearing an orange jumpsuit. He was escorted out of the police vehicle and into the courthouse by officers and did not speak or turn around.
His first hearing concerned the forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania. Outside the court, two people wearing green hats like the ones worn by the Luigi character in the Mario video game held signs supporting Mangione.
Next, Mangione formally waived extradition at a second hearing. The judge asked Mangione if he wished to waive extradition, and his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, turned to Mangione and asked, “That’s what you want to do?” to which Mangione replied yes.
In court, he appeared calm and answered “yes” or “no” to the judge’s questions, CNN’s Danny Freeman said. He smiled at times and chatted with sheriff’s deputies, but mostly kept his head down and examined papers in front of him, Freeman added.
It was altogether a stark contrast from his outburst last week when he yelled a message to the media while being escorted by police.
With his hands shackled in front and an officer on each elbow, Mangione left the courthouse and walked toward the right passenger door of a black SUV with New York plates. With cameras flashing, he stuck his tongue in his right cheek. He looked both ways. He looked toward the cameras.
“Everything we did today was in his best interest,” Dickey told a gathering of media members. “We’re ready now to defend – move forward and start defending these charges in New York and Pennsylvania.”
Next to Dickey, a man held a black sign with yellow letters reading, “Support hero Luigi Mangione.”
Flights to New York
Police drove Mangione to the Altoona-Blair County Airport, where he boarded a jet headed for Islip, New York. From there, he was placed into an NYPD helicopter that flew to Manhattan.
The copter’s arrival at the Wall Street heliport led to an extraordinary scene: Mangione, surrounded by a swarm of gun-toting NYPD officers, in a slow, lengthy “perp walk” from the helicopter into a black van, with cameras catching every step.
“It was almost Hannibal Lecter-esque,” defense attorney Jeremy Saland told CNN Thursday evening.
A few steps behind the officers were New York Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “We wanted to personally be here to show the symbolism of leading from the front,” Adams said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras said, noting the extent of law enforcement presence. “They clearly want the photo opportunity to show what they believe: They got their guy.”
The perp walk was a substantial departure from how federal suspects are normally processed because the parading of a suspect can be prejudicial, CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Pérez explained.
The spectacle of the heavily armed police presence may be a reflection of Mangione’s notoriety.
“The security around Mangione today is because of what they’ve been seeing in terms of the public support for him and their security worries about somebody not trying to attack him, but to try and free him from law enforcement,” CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.
Cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms, and the federal Bureau of Prisons does not release booking photos of inmates, so Mangione’s helicopter departure may be the last time he is seen in public for some time.
Mangione formally went into federal custody about 1 p.m., prosecutors said.
Federal charges unsealed
Four federal charges against Mangione were unsealed in a complaint midday, including two counts of stalking, a count of murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense. He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge, according to prosecutors, who have not said whether they will seek that punishment. The decision would ultimately need to be approved by the US Attorney General.
The federal complaint also provides new details on a notebook allegedly in his possession, which “contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
In an August 15 notebook entry, the writer states, “the details are finally coming together” and that, “I’m glad in a way that I’ve procrastinated” because it allowed time to “learn more” about UnitedHealthcare, according to the complaint.
In another entry, on October 22, the writer called an upcoming investor conference “a true windfall” and described the intent to “wack” the CEO of an insurance company at the conference.
The NY state case against Mangione “will proceed in parallel” with the federal case against him, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Mangione met with his attorneys in the New York federal courthouse ahead of his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker, who oversaw the court proceedings at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse.
Mangione, now wearing a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, later answered “yes” twice to confirm that he understood his rights and had seen the federal complaint against him.
Federal prosecutors asked that Mangione be detained and his attorneys told the court they will not seek bail at the moment but reserve the right to do so later. Asked by the court if he understood what he was accused of, Mangione again responded, “Yes.”
Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo said she was “seeking clarity” about the simultaneous state and federal charges against her client. Parker said those issues could be raised later. Agnifilo declined to comment after the hearing, saying: “Mr. Mangione appreciates everyone’s support.”
The 15-minute hearing was over by 3:15 p.m. and after a brief consultation with his attorneys, Mangione, in shackles, was escorted out of the courtroom by two federal marshals.
Mangione will be held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail operating in New York City. Known as MDC, the federal lockup is where other high-profile defendants such as Sean “Diddy” Combs – who is represented by Mangione defense attorney Mark Agnifilo – have been held. The prison is notorious for its poor living conditions.
After the hearing, Edward Kim, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that Mangione shot Thompson “in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country.”
“But this wasn’t a debate,” he said, “it was murder.”
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CNN’s Kara Scannell, Andy Rose, Danny Freeman, Sara Smart, Rebekah Riess, John Miller and Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.
