Potential death penalty for accused CEO killer

The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by helicopter overnight to face new federal charges of murder and stalking, escalating the case after his earlier indictment on state charges.

Luigi Mangione agreed to go return to New York after a morning (local time) court appearance in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run. He was expected in a Manhattan federal court in the afternoon.

After his Pennsylvania court hearing, Mangione was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department officers who were in the courtroom and led him to a plane bound for Long Island.

He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, where he was walked slowly up a pier by officers with assault rifles.

The federal complaint unsealed overnight charges him with two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offence.

One of the federal charges, murder by firearm, could bring the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted. Federal prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue the such a punishment.

Mangione could face life in prison without parole if convicted on the New York state charges, which include murder as an act of terrorism.

In Pennsylvania, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said that he wanted to turn Mangione over to New York authorities as soon as possible.

“He is now in their custody. He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York,” Weeks said.

The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and shooting Brian Thompson on December 4 outside a Manhattan hotel where the head of the United States’ largest health insurer was walking to an investor conference.

The shooting was captured on security video, but the suspect eluded police before Mangione was captured about 446 kilometres west of New York.

Weeks said he was willing to put the Pennsylvania charges on hold while New York authorities prosecute Mangione.

Mangione was arrested on December 9 when police were called to a McDonald’s restaurant on a commercial strip in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was reported to match the description of Thompson’s killer.

Authorities allege Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, a fake ID and about $US10,000 ($16,000) in US and foreign currency.

Investigators believe Mangione was motivated by anger toward the U.S. health care system and corporate greed. But he was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

According to the federal complaint, a notebook Mangione was carrying when he was arrested included several handwritten pages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

An August entry said that “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box,” according to the filing. An entry in October “describes an intent to ‘wack’ the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference,” the document said.

His lawyer has questioned the evidence for the forgery charge and the legal basis for a gun charge. He had previously indicated Mangione would fight extradition to New York while being held in a Pennsylvania state prison.

Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies “parasitic” and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press last week.