Prosecutors in New York City charged accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione with murder late Monday night, according to online court records.
The 26-year-old was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon (loaded firearm), possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon (firearm silencer) in the brazen Dec. 4 shooting death of Brian Thompson.
Thompson, 50, was shot from behind on the sidewalk outside a NYC Hilton hotel before a shareholder conference. He was appointed the CEO of the company in April 2021.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after a five-day nationwide manhunt for Thompson’s killer. He could be extradited to New York as early as Tuesday.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD’S
Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with murder in New York City in connection with the brazen shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4.
Rookie Altoona police officer Tyler Frye took Mangione into custody after an employee and a customer at a McDonald’s in the town thought he looked like the suspect on a wanted poster and called authorities.
When officers approached Mangione, who was wearing a mask and a beanie and working on a laptop in the back of the restaurant, and asked him to remove his face covering, they recognized him as the suspect wanted for questioning in Thompson’s murder.
A surveillance image released by the NYPD shows the suspect, believed to be 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD Crimestoppers)
During that encounter, he allegedly handed over a fake ID, gave a phony name, and “became quiet and started to shake” when asked if he’d recently been to New York.
He was also allegedly in possession of writings criticizing the healthcare industry and a ghost gun similar to the one believed to have been used to kill Thompson.
Altoona police initially took Mangione into custody on charges unrelated to Thompson’s murder – possession of an unlicensed firearm, providing false identification to police and forgery.
A still image from video shows Luigi Mangione, 26, being taken into a Pennsylvania courthouse Monday evening after being questioned in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Fox News)
WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER?Â
Mangione’s family said in a statement Monday night that they are “shocked and devastated” by his arrest.
Mangione’s cousin, Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione, said he would not be commenting on the matter. His family also said they would not comment on news reports of his arrest and the allegations against him.
“We only know what we have read in the media,” the statement said. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
A photo obtained by Fox News Digital shows Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
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Mangione graduated top of his class from the elite Gilman School in Baltimore, and even delivered the commencement speech at his 2016 graduation, according to video of the ceremony.
“He seemed like a smart kid, he was always doing the right thing, it seemed like,” a former classmate, who was shocked by the arrest, told Fox News Digital Monday. “Wasn’t crazy.”
He then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering and was part of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.
