Gunman in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder indicted in New York City

New York, Dec 18 (IANS) Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. and New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch have announced the indictment of Luigi Mangione, 26, for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown of Manhattan on December 4.

Mangione is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mangione faces 11 counts, including one of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree in Thompson's killing on December 4 in New York, along with other weapon and forgery charges, the indictment said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors accuse the 26-year-old of killing Thompson "in furtherance of an act of terrorism," which is legally defined as an intent 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 and attention and intimidation," Bragg said at a Tuesday noon news conference.

The shooting happened "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," Bragg added.

Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told CNN that Mangione does not plan to fight his upcoming extradition to New York. He is being held without bail and expected in a Blair County court in Pennsylvania on Thursday for an extradition hearing.

A conviction of second-degree murder in New York would see Mangione serving 15 years to life in prison; a first-degree murder conviction would see a sentence of 20 years to life.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 9 in connection with the fatal shooting of 50-year-old Thompson.

Mangione is not going to fight extradition to New York, according to reports quoting his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

Thompson was fatally shot in early morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown, as he was on his way to attend an annual investor conference there organised by UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare.

The killing of Thompson has drawn an outpouring of public anger against private health insurers on social media.

--IANS

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