Mangione faces new federal charges in the United States that carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has appeared in a New York court to face new federal charges including murder and stalking.
Mangione’s summons came on Thursday after he was transferred from Pennsylvania to New York after he waived his right to extradition proceedings.
Mangione did not say much during his 15-minute appearance before US Magistrate Katherine Parker in Manhattan, while he was shackled at the ankles and wearing a blue jacket and beige pants.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, who was already facing numerous state charges, was charged with murder with a firearm, two counts of stalking and use of an illegal weapon silencer, according to an unsealed criminal complaint.
The federal charges raise the possibility that Mangione could face the death penalty if prosecutors request it.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said it was a “highly unusual situation” for a defendant to face simultaneous state and federal cases.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening here,” Friedman Agnifilo said.
According to the criminal complaint, Mangione traveled from Georgia to New York “with the intent of stalking and killing Brian Thompson.”
According to the complaint, a notebook found in Mangione’s possession after his arrest at a McDonald’s outlet in Altoona, Pennsylvania, contained several handwritten pages “expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
One August entry said “the goal is insurance” because it “checks every box,” while an October entry described an intent to “annoy” an insurance company’s CEO, according to the complaint.
Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “deposit” were written on shell casings found at the scene of the killing, a reference to a phrase commonly used to describe insurance companies’ tactics to avoid paying claims.
During Mangione’s court appearance, supporters gathered outside carrying posters reading “Health before wealth” and “Luigi set us free.”
James Dennehy of the FBI’s New York Field Office said Maggioni’s alleged actions amounted to a “premeditated and carefully targeted execution.”
“This alleged plot demonstrates a cavalier attitude toward humanity, whereby murder is considered an appropriate recourse to satisfy personal grievances,” Dennehy said.
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