The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO has been indicted on 11 charges, including murder as an act of terrorism, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the CEO’s death “was a killing that was intended to evoke terror. And we’ve seen that reaction.”
The suspect, Luigi M., already was charged with murder in the killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror allegation is new.
Bragg addressed the media during a news conference, calling Thompson’s slaying a “brazen, targeted and premeditated shooting.”
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Bragg said. “The intent was to sow terror.”
If convicted, Luigi M. faces life in prison without parole.
Luigi M. currently held in Pennsylvania jail
Luigi M. was arrested after the search for the killer behind the healthcare executive’s death mesmerized Americans.
He was ultimately arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with gun and forgery offenses.
He has been locked up there without bail and is fighting extradition to New York.
Mangione has two court hearings scheduled for Thursday in Pennsylvania, including an extradition hearing, Bragg noted.
Anger at US health system
The assassination of Brian Thompson has exposed people’s anger toward the healthcare industry.
Americans are mainly dependent on employers for health insurance since the country does not have a system of universal health care.
Private health care is very expensive. Some 500,000 people file for personal bankruptcy each year due to medical debt.
UnitedHealthcare, often criticized for rejecting doctor-prescribed treatments, became a focal point of public ire, despite the insurer confirming that Luigi M. was never a client.
*Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.
ss/rm (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
Healthcare CEO shooting suspect indicted on murder charges – DW – 12/18/2024
Holocaust survivors mark remembrance at Auschwitz amid rising antisemitism
Holocaust survivors participated in the March of the Living at Auschwitz on Holocaust Remembrance Day, honouring the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Revital
Turkey reports shooting at vocational high school, 16 injured as gunman dies
A shooting at a vocational high school in Siverek, Turkey, left 16 injured as an 18-year-old gunman, recently expelled, opened fire before taking his own