Luigi Mangione charged with murder, terrorism
Magnione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
What happened
New York prosecutors announced new charges against Luigi Mangione on Tuesday, including first-degree murder "in furtherance of an act of terrorism" tied to the fatal shooting of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. The 10 other charges against Mangione, 26, include second-degree murder as an act of terrorism, second-degree murder and weapons charges.
Who said what
The Dec. 4 murder of Thomason, 50, "was not an ordinary killing," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters, explaining the indictment. "This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror. And we've seen that reaction." First-degree murder in New York "only applies to a narrow list of aggravating circumstances," including terrorism, murder-for hire or killing a judge, cop or first responder, CNN said.
Thompson's murder "kindled a fiery outpouring of resentment toward U.S. health insurance companies," The Associated Press said, and "rattled C-suites, as 'wanted' posters with other health care executives' names and faces appeared on New York streets and some social media users extolled Mangione's deed as payback" for denied coverage, large bills and long delays in treatment. UnitedHealthcare said Mangione, who underwent major back surgery, was never a client.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch criticized the "shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder."
What next?
A conviction on the most serious charges could land Mangione in prison for life without parole. He has an extradition hearing scheduled for Thursday in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald's. Despite earlier indications, Mangione won't fight extradition to New York, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo told CNN.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Political cartoons for February 1Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Tom Homan's offer, the Fox News filter, and more
-
Will SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic make 2026 the year of mega tech listings?In Depth SpaceX float may come as soon as this year, and would be the largest IPO in history
-
Reforming the House of LordsThe Explainer Keir Starmer’s government regards reform of the House of Lords as ‘long overdue and essential’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
Migrant death in ICE custody ruled homicideSpeed Read Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died of asphyxia, the coroner said
