Luigi Mangione agrees to extradition to NYC at court hearing where at least 100 supporters of accused CEO killer gathered outside
Luigi Mangione on Thursday agreed to be extradited to New York City to face murder charges in the brazen execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — following a court hearing in Pennsylvania where at least 100 protesters showed up to support the accused killer.
Mangione, 26, is expected to land later Thursday in Manhattan, where he faces an 11-count indictment levied against him by state prosecutors in the Dec. 4 fatal shooting on Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown.
“New York stands ready to do whatever it takes to hold the killer accountable.” Gov. Kathy Hochul said following the release of the indictment.
Manhattan federal prosecutors are also expected to charge Mangione over the slaying, sources said.
Mangione only spoke with “yes” and “no” when addressed by the judge at his hearing in Hollidaysburg, which saw some 15 NYPD officers taking up the front row.
Mangione only spoke with “yes” and “no” when addressed by the judge at his hearing in Hollidaysburg.
He said “yes” when his local attorney Thomas Dickey asked if he wanted to waive his extradition.
Mangione appeared more relaxed in court than he did in last week’s hearing where he initially declared he would fight the extradition order.
Dickey said he was satisfied with his client’s decision to be extradited to New York as his team has now secured a proper counsel in the Empire State.
“The most serious charges are in New York and we believe the pieces are in place for him to have his best defense,” Dickey told the court.
Mangione is flying in through MacArthur Airport, on Long Island, and is due to arrive in New York City by helicopter, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Mangione is due to return to Pennsylvania on Feb. 24 for a preliminary hearing over criminal charges in the Keystone State, where he was arrested.
Outside the Blair County Courthouse, demonstrators waved “free Luigi” and anti-insurance signs as he arrived for the extradition hearing.
“Health Insurance Practices Terrorize People,” one sign read, appearing to reference the terror charges prosecutors are considering to file against Mangione.
“Muder For Profit Is Terrorism, Free Luigi,” another sign read.
Adam Giesseman, 33, of Piqua, Ohio, said he had joined the demonstrators outside the courthouse given the infamous nature of the case and the spotlight it has placed on America’s health insurance system.
“I think our country is broken and the people don’t care about the working class. If what is alleged is true, he should suffer the consequences of what is handed to him, but I’m glad he brought attention to the fact that our country is broken.“
Others went as far as to wave signs hailing Mangione as a “hero,” for the murder of Thompson, a father-of-two, and the chaotic five-day manhunt that gripped the nation until his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9.
Many of the signs seen outside the courthouse also held the anti-health insurance company slogan, “Deny, Delay, Depose.”
The use of the three-word slogan has skyrocketed in popularity after it was reported that the ominous message was scribbled into ammunition recovered at the Manhattan murder scene.
The words appear to be a criticism of healthcare companies’ perceived schemes to limit medical claims in pursuit of profits — and play on the title of the 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
Mangione is expected to waive extradition at the hearing and be hauled back to Manhattan to face an “exceedingly rare” first-degree murder charge in the Thompson’s murder, who was gunned down in front of the Hilton hotel in Midtown.
Once he’s back in the Big Apple, Mangione is scheduled to appear before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro on an 11-count indictment, a courthouse source confirmed to The Post.
Mangione — a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a prominent Maryland family — faces the possibility of life without parole if convicted of murder as an act of terrorism.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that Mangione was indicted on the upgraded charges because the Dec. 4 crime — in which Thompson was gunned down outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown — was “intended to provoke terror.”
First degree is typically charged in cases involving victims who are law enforcement members or possible witnesses to crimes, which Thompson is neither, with legal experts telling The Post the charge is somewhat of a “reach.”
Mangione also faces two counts of second-degree murder in addition to multiple counts of weapon possession and second-degree forgery charges. He faces 25 years to life on the second-degree murder charge.
