Luigi Nicholas Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEOBrian Thompson, contested his extradition back to New York at a court hearing Tuesday, though it isn’t expected to delay legal proceedings significantly.
Little new information has come out about a possible motive, though writings found in Mangione’s possession hinted at a hatred of corporate greed. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania.
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In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny has said Mangione also had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace.
Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a sound suppressor, or silencer, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said.
He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, the commissioner said.
Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, according to Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for a “co-living” space in Honolulu where the suspect lived in 2022.
Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone’s lower spine.
His grandfather was a self-made real estate developer and philanthropist.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland Del. Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
From January to June 2022, Luigi Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin, said he was widely considered a “great guy,” though he had long dealt with severe back pain that interfered with many aspects of his life.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione mostly stared straight ahead during Tuesday’s hearing in Pennsylvania, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer.
Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court his client did not agree to extradition and wants a hearing on the matter.
Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said that although Mangione will create “extra hoops” for law enforcement to jump through by fighting extradition, it won’t be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York.