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Alleged Killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Faces Multiple Charges in Pennsylvania

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  December 09, 2024 8:45 PM

On Monday, as Matt has been covering, police arrested a suspect in the murder of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was killed last week in New York City. He was later identified as Luigi Mangione. He was charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania, where he was nabbed. Those charges do not include the murder of Thompson, not yet at least.

As The Hill reported on Monday night:

Mangione is accused of forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of crime and false identification to law enforcement authorities.

He has not yet been charged directly over Thompson’s death, but Blair County, Pa., District Attorney Pete Weeks said at a Monday press conference that Mangione is expected to face a homicide charge “in the very near future.”

The initial charges were unveiled as Mangione appeared for a preliminary arraignment Monday evening at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., which is located a few miles from where Mangione was arrested Monday morning at a McDonald’s in Altoona.

Much of the news surrounding Mangione's arrest has to do with how he is said to have presented with a fake ID at the McDonald's where he was recognized and arrested. He also used one of his many fake IDs for his hostel stay in New Jersey. 

Mangione has been trending over X throughout Monday, as has Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA). During his press conference that same evening, the governor spoke a lot about "the attention" on the case and had harsh words for those who celebrated Thompson's murder, which took place in New York City. 

"But some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate, instead of condemning this killing. Brian Thompson was a father to two, he was a husband, and he was a friend to many, and yes, he was the CEO of a health insurance company," Shapiro shared. 

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"In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a view point. I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, and I have worked to address that throughout my career. But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most. In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice. In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning. The real heroes everyday in our society are the women and men who put on uniforms like these and go out in our communities to keep us safe," the governor continued, pointing to the officers behind him. "This killer was not a hero, he should not be hailed."

Still, many over X are grumbling about having to hear from the governor, with some chiming in to share he's likely running for president in 2028. 

Although Shapiro did not name anyone in such a clip, Taylor Lorenz is also trending as she continues to double down on celebrating the death of Thompson and has called for the deaths of healthcare CEOs like him. 

While it's been circulating over X that Lorenz and Vox have parted ways, but Lorenz has chimed in to dispute such reports.