Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, along with other charges, for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday.
“We are here to announce that Luigi Mangione, the defendant, is charged with one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, including one count of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism. For the brazen targeted, and premeditated shooting of Brian Thompson, who, as you know, was the CEO of United Health Care.”
BREAKING: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announces upgraded murder charges against suspect Luigi Mangione for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: "Our work will never be able to undo the fact that a life was lost." https://t.co/14BOW5oAMS pic.twitter.com/I1KnBI3jjO
— ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2024
Bragg affirmed that “This type of premeditated, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Mangione is alleged to have shot and killed Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, December 4. Law enforcement later arrested the suspect days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an extensive manhunt.
Law enforcement revealed that Mangione had been obsessed with Thompson for months, according to his writings. He expressed anger at the U.S. healthcare system. In one instance, he allegedly wrote, “What do you do? You whack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.”
Gurwinder Bhogal, a blogger who befriended Mangione online, discussed his concerns about technological advancement and how it might impact society. “He was afraid that technology was going to take people’s agency away,” Bhogal told CNN. The alleged gunman was also fixated on Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber because he shared similar beliefs.
Mangione was also terrified that social media were taking people’s “agency” away, and was concerned he too was losing control over his life due to a social media addiction, according to Bhogal, who said he had a two-hour video call with Mangione about those fears just before he disappeared earlier this year.
“He was afraid that technology was going to take people’s agency away. He actually believed that this was already happening,” Bhogal alleged.
This belief is what led Mangione to become interested in the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, according to Bhogal.
“He became interested in Kaczynski’s work for this reason — because Kaczynski also believed this,” Bhogal explained.
Mangione shared his views on Kaczynski — who killed three and injured 23 more between 1978 and 1995 — online, liking one of his quotes and writing a review of his manifesto.
Mangione discussed his frustrations with healthcare in the United States, noting that it was expensive and favored the United Kingdom’s government-run system.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former deputy in the Manhattan DA’s office, will be representing the suspect during the extradition process and later during his trial.
The shooting elicited a series of reactions from the public. Many condemned the shooting as a cold-blooded act of murder. However, many others expressed support for Mangione and seemed to prop him up as a vigilante striking back against an unfair healthcare system.
Shortly after more information about the incident was revealed, merchandise began showing up for sale in various online stores featuring the words “deny,” “depose,” and “delay” written on them. This is a reference to the three words that were inscribed on bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting.