UnitedHealthcare CEO murder: Suspect Luigi Mangione held in same jail as Diddy after first court appearance

NEW YORK (WABC) — The man accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare woke up Friday morning in a Brooklyn jail, the same one where Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held.

26-year-old Luigi Mangione is being held in a detention center. He appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday after waiving extradition to Pennsylvania.

He is accused of traveling from Georgia to allegedly stalk and kill Brian Thompson and said he targeted the health care industry because “she checked every box,” one of the notes in a notebook in which the suspect discussed the plot weeks ago before this a felony, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Mangione was charged Thursday with four federal charges, including stalking, felony firearm with a silencer and murder with a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty.

The federal complaint includes previously unreleased excerpts from a notebook police say they seized from Mangione. Authorities said the articles “express hostility toward the health insurance industry and, in particular, toward wealthy executives.”

According to the complaint, the Aug. 15, 2024 entry says “the details are finally coming out” and “I’m glad, in a sense, that I delayed, B.C. (because) it allowed me to learn more about (company acronym-1)”.

The recording also says that “the target has insurance” because “she checks every box,” the complaint states. An entry dated October 22, 2024 said: “1.5 months. This conference for investors is a real profit … and most importantly, the message is getting clear.”

The pages further describe an intention to “beat up” the CEO of one of the insurance companies at an investor conference, the complaint says.

Mangione made his first appearance in Manhattan federal court Thursday afternoon, hours after the criminal complaint was unsealed. Mangione walked into a packed federal courtroom to appear before Magistrate Judge Catherine Parker.

He answered yes to several of Judge Parker’s questions, but mostly kept his head down as he read while she summarized the allegations in the complaint. He did not file a statement.

Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione will not initially appeal the pretrial detention. He was taken into custody.

“We are going to respectfully decline any further comment at this time, but Mr. Mangione appreciates everyone’s support. Thank you very much,” Angifilio said.

The next court hearing is scheduled for January 18, 2025, unless an indictment is obtained in advance.

The prosecutor noted that there is a parallel case in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office.

“This case is ongoing and our office is consulting with them,” Gentile said.

Anyifilo said Mangione is ready to stand trial in state court and complained that federal charges have been filed against her client.

“We are in a very unusual situation,” Anyifilo said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

RELATED | Supporters of suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione set up defense fund

She said the theories in the two cases conflicted, noting that the state case charged Mangione with terrorizing a group of people, while the federal case charged him with stalking a person.

Mangione agreed to return to New York after a morning appearance at a court in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run.

“It’s in his best interest and we’re moving forward,” said Mangione’s defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, of Pennsylvania.

After the hearing in a Pennsylvania court, Mangione was immediately handed over to at least a dozen New York City police officers who were in the courtroom and led to a plane bound for Long Island. He was then taken to a Manhattan heliport, where he was slowly lifted to the pier by officers with assault rifles.

The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and shooting Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel where the chairman of the largest U.S. health insurance company was attending an investor conference.

Authorities said Mangione was carrying the gun that killed Thompson, a passport, fake IDs and about $10,000 when he was arrested while eating breakfast on Dec. 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

When Mangione was arrested, he had a 9mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two magazines of ammunition and live ammunition, prosecutors said.

Mangione, who initially fought efforts to extradite him, made two court appearances Thursday, first waiving a preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges before agreeing to return to New York.

His next hearing in Pennsylvania is scheduled for Feb. 24, which could ultimately result in an extension or a remote Zoom appearance, given the impracticality of returning for an in-person hearing while he is in custody in New York.

RELATED | Timeline of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting

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Information from ABC News and Associated Press

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