Luigi Mangione is waiving extradition and will be transported back to New York after PA hearing
Luigi Mangione is charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and is expected to waive extradition Thursday
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is waiving extradition and will be transported back to New York, ABC News reports. He appeared in court in Pennsylvania on Thursday.
He arrived at the courthouse shortly after 7:30 ET on Thursday ahead of a hearing.
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The Pennsylvania judge had to accept the waiver or go forward with a scheduled hearing Thursday morning immediately following a separate hearing on the local charges Mangione faces.
Assuming the extradition paperwork is in order, the NYPD would transport Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York. Mangione could be arraigned in New York as soon as Thursday.
Spectators gathered outside the Blair County courthouse on Thursday ahead of Mangione's appearance.
One held a sign reading "Deny, Defend, Depose," echoing the words written on shell casings and a bullet at the murder scene.
Adam Giesseman, who had a sign that said "Free Luigi" and "Murder for Profit is Terrorism," told ABC News, "Our country is broken."
Another waiting spectator, who only gave her first name, Natalie, voiced frustration that the insurance system is "set up for profit over people's health."
"It's unfortunate that this happened, and I'm not glorifying it in any way -- but it's brought attention to the issue that affects all Americans," she said.
In addition to the 11-count indictment secured by the Manhattan district attorney's office, Mangione is expected to face federal charges out of the Southern District of New York, law enforcement sources told ABC News Wednesday evening.
SDNY and the FBI's New York field office both declined to comment.
Federal charges could make Mangione eligible for the death penalty. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges.
"As alleged, this defendant brazenly shot Mr. Thompson point blank on a Manhattan sidewalk. The Manhattan D.A.'s Office, working with our partners at the NYPD, is dedicated to securing justice for this heinous murder with charges of Murder in the first degree. The state case will proceed in parallel with any federal case," said Danielle Filson, a spokeswoman for Bragg.
"The federal government's reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought," said Mangione's New York lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
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"I'm ready to bring him back here and make sure justice is served," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.
Danielle Filson, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, said, "The state case will proceed in parallel with any federal case."
Mangione, 26, is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO headed to an investors conference. Prosecutors alleged Mangione waited nearly an hour for Thompson to arrive.
A Manhattan grand jury has upgraded charges against Mangione to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The slaying in the heart of Midtown Manhattan unfolded as tourists, commuters and residents were on the streets and was "intended to evoke terror," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
In Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 after nearly one week on the run, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.
When Mangione was apprehended, he had a 9 mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two ammunition magazines and live cartridges, prosecutors said.
Mangione is also charged in New York with: two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Mangione will waive extradition at Thursday's hearing, according to his lawyer, but he has not yet waived extradition.
