Grand jury indicts UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect on first-degree murder

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) on Tuesday announced that a grand jury handed up an indictment against suspect Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.  

Mangione faces 11 charges, including first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as a crime of terrorism.  

The indictment describes the alleged murder as an attempt to “intimidate or coerce” civilians and influence the policies and conduct of the government. 

The suspect faces eight additional charges: seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon in varying degrees and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.  

Bragg is scheduled to address the media Tuesday afternoon. The Hill has reached out to Mangione’s attorney for comment. 

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down earlier this month outside New York Hilton Midtown, where he was set to address an annual investor meeting. 

Mangione, who emerged as a suspect after law enforcement released and widely spread his image, is in custody in Pennsylvania after he was spotted at a McDonald’s last week in Altoona, Pa.  

Beyond the murder charges, the indictment accuses Mangione of illegally possessing an assault weapon, firearm silencer, two high-capacity magazines and a “ghost gun.” His forged instrument charge corresponds to possessing an alleged fake driver’s license. 

Prosecutors allege Mangione arrived in New York by bus on Nov. 24, more than a week before he allegedly killed Thompson. Mangione purportedly stayed at a hostel, extending his stay multiple times. 

Law enforcement who arrested Mangione at the McDonalds said he “became quiet and started to shake” after they asked whether he had been in New York recently. A ghost gun, silencer and writings expressing ill will toward corporate America were found on his person, linking him to the crime, police said.  

He is due to return to court on Thursday for additional proceedings on his firearms charges in Pennsylvania and New York’s attempt to extradite him to face the more serious charges contained in their indictment.