(NEW YORK) — The individual suspected in the murder of Brian Thompson was transported back to New York by air and helicopter on Thursday to face new federal charges. These charges include stalking and murder, potentially carrying the death penalty upon conviction.
Mangione agreed to his return to New York following a morning court appearance in Pennsylvania, where his arrest occurred last week, five days after the shooting. He subsequently appeared in a Manhattan federal court for an afternoon hearing resulting in a detention order.
Following his Pennsylvania court appearance, Mangione was immediately taken into custody by NYPD officers present in the courtroom and escorted to a plane for Long Island. He was then flown to a Manhattan heliport and walked to a pier, heavily guarded.
The unsealed federal complaint details two counts of stalking and single counts of murder via firearm and a firearms offense. The murder charge carries a potential death penalty, although federal prosecutors haven’t confirmed if they will seek it.
A New York state indictment, filed earlier this week, charged Mangione with murder, carrying a potential life sentence without parole. New York does not have capital punishment.
In Thursday’s federal court appearance, Mangione showed minimal reaction to the magistrate’s reading of the complaint’s murder accusation.
His lawyer described the simultaneous state and federal prosecutions as highly unusual, stating, “Frankly I’ve never seen anything like what is happening here.”
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate stands accused of ambushing and shooting Thompson on December 4th outside a Manhattan hotel, where the UnitedHealth Group CEO was en route to an investor conference.
Authorities reported that Mangione possessed the murder weapon, a passport, fake IDs, and approximately $10,000 at the time of his arrest on December 9th while eating breakfast at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
Mangione, who initially resisted extradition, made two brief court appearances on Thursday, waiving a preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges before consenting to his transfer to New York.
Investigators believe Mangione’s actions stemmed from anger towards the U.S. healthcare system and corporate greed, despite not being a UnitedHealthcare client.
The federal complaint cites a notebook found on Mangione containing handwritten pages expressing animosity toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.
An August entry reportedly stated that “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box,” while an October entry allegedly detailed an intention to “wack” an insurance CEO at an investor conference.
The killing sparked widespread discussion regarding resentment toward U.S. health insurance companies and prompted reactions within corporate America, with some social media users framing the shooting as retribution.
Video footage shows a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind, followed by additional shots. Despite widely circulated images of the suspect’s unmasked face, he evaded capture until his arrest in Altoona, approximately 277 miles (446 kilometers) west of New York.
Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, carried a handwritten letter denouncing health insurance companies as “parasitic” and criticizing corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin.
One of his lawyers urged the public against prejudging the case.
Mangione frequently posted on social media about how spinal surgery alleviated his chronic back pain, encouraging others with similar conditions to advocate for themselves.
In a late April Reddit post, he advised someone with a back problem to seek multiple surgical opinions and, if necessary, claim the pain prevented work.
“We live in a capitalist society,” Mangione wrote. “I’ve found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how it’s impacting your quality of life.”
He reportedly distanced himself from family and close friends in recent months. His family reported him missing in San Francisco in November, issuing a statement expressing shock and devastation at his arrest.
Thompson, raised on an Iowa farm, was a trained accountant. A married father of two high schoolers, he had worked at UnitedHealth Group for 20 years, becoming CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
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Scolforo reported from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers Mike Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; contributed.