A public fundraiser has garnered more than $50,000 in funds for Luigi Mangione’s legal defense as of Thursday afternoon, online records show.
Donations have poured into the GiveSendGo fundraiser organized by the December 4 Legal Committee.
The flood of funds comes as New York prosecutors began presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work toward what Governor Kathy Hochul predicts will be an “ironclad” indictment against the suspect, ABC News reported.
The 26-year-old accused killer is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail. A grand jury indictment could bolster the case for extradition to New York, where he faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s shooting death in Midtown Manhattan last week. Mangione is contesting the extradition.
The development comes as Luigi Mangione’s defense lawyer Thomas Dickey explained why his client became “agitated” and began yelling at reporters outside a Pennsylvania courthouse.
“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” Mangione yelled Tuesday as he was escorted into the courthouse.
Dickey explained the outburst to CNN: “He’s irritated. Agitated about what’s happening to him and what he’s being accused of.”
Key Points
- Mangione’s fellow prison inmates shout ‘free Luigi’
- NY Gov. Kathy Hochul expects ‘ironclad’ indictment against Luigi Mangione ‘any day now’
- Gun found on Luigi Mangione upon arrest 'matches shell casings at the crime scene’
- What we know about Thomas Dickey, Mangione’s attorney
- High school classmate of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect speaks out
NY bail bondsman discusses Luigi Mangione arrest
06:00
Kelly Rissman
Michael Moore responds to Luigi Mangione’s cryptic message
05:00
Kelly Rissman
The acclaimed American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has responded to a cryptic message left by Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.
Mangione faces a second-degree murder charge for the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on 4 December.
At the crime scene, Mangione reportedly left behind bullet casings engraved with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend.” The inscriptions appear to reference the 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It, which has surged in popularity on Amazon’s insurance law bestseller list since the incident.
When arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday, Mangione was found in possession of a 262-page manifesto outlining his intentions and referencing notorious figures such as Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In the document, Mangione also briefly mentioned Michael Moore and former New York Times reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal, citing them as individuals who have “illuminated the corruption and greed” of the healthcare industry.
Here’s the full story.
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
04:00
Kelly Rissman
Betting platform Polymarket started taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future after the 26-year-old was charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The bets started appearing on the website on Monday shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on gun charges, according to Forbes.
The betting platform surged in popularity during the 2024 presidential election, when gamblers spent more than $3.3 billion guessing the results.
So far, users have wagered thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies speculating over Mangione’s alleged motive and outcome of the case.
A bet with one of the highest trading volumes, $125,000, is on whether Mangione was “motivated by denied [health insurance] claims.” Polymarket’s betting odds give it a 24 percent chance of being true.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Timeline of the manhunt
03:00
Kelly Rissman
December 4: The suspect set off from an Upper West Side hostel before dawn. He was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth at 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel where the UnitedHealthcare Group was holding its conference. After opening fire, the suspect fled by bike through Central Park before getting into a cab and was later spotted at a bus station. A manhunt ensued.
December 5: Investigators revealed a cryptic message carved onto the shell casings: “delay,” “deny” and “depose.” NYPD also released images of the suspect.
December 6: Police announce they believe the suspect has left New York City, expanding the desperate search. A backpack, thought to belong to the suspect, was found in Central Park and sent in for forensic testing. The now-viral “flirtatious” photo of the suspect speaking to a hostel worker was released.
December 7: NYPD releases another photo of the suspect, this time in the back of a taxi. The FBI also joined the hunt for the suspect, offering a $50,000 reward for information.
December 8: Although no leads on the suspect’s whereabouts were made public, investigators revealed the contents of the backpack included Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket.
December 9: A private service for Brian Thompson was held. Also that day, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania tipped recognized Mangione from the photos circulated by police. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on gun charges and hours later faced a murder charge in New York.
Health care companies increase security after ‘wanted’ posters for health care executives crop up
02:00
AP
“Wanted” posters with the names and faces of health care executives have been popping up on the streets of New York. Hit lists with images of bullets are circulating online with warnings that industry leaders should be afraid.
The apparent targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the menacing threats that followed have sent a shudder through corporate America and the health care industry in particular, leading to increased security for executives and some workers.
In the week since the brazen shooting, health insurers have removed information about their top executives from company websites, canceled in-person meetings with shareholders and advised all employees to work from home temporarily.
An internal New York Police Department bulletin warned this week that the online vitriol that followed the shooting could signal an immediate “elevated threat.”
Police fear that the Dec. 4 shooting could “inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence,” according to the bulletin, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The very online ‘gray tribe’ philosophy of alleged UnitedHealthcare killer Luigi Mangione
01:00
Kelly Rissman
The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson followed Richard Dawkins and RFK Jr, tweeted about neuroscience and Japanese birth rates, and shared posts about how to think more logically.
The 26-year-old was fascinated by AI and decision theory; pro-technology but anti-smartphones; secular and scientific in his outlook, but in favour of religion on Darwinian grounds.
What does it all mean? Luigi Mangione’s worldview might not be familiar to most Americans, and it’s certainly not a common one among politically-motivated killers. Nevertheless, his social media posts, and the users he engaged with, mark him out indelibly as a very specific type of online person – one that’s intimately familiar to me.
”Increasingly looks like we’ve got our first gray tribe shooter, and boy howdy is the media not ready for that,” wrote the journalist and extremism expert Robert Evans, who analyzed Mangione’s online life earlier this week.
There’s no single accepted name for this loose, extremely online subculture of bloggers, philosophers, shitposters and Silicon Valley coders. “The gray tribe” is one term; ”the rationalist movement” is another.
Io Dodds has the full story.
ICYMI: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson victim of 'targeted' shooting, say police
00:30
Kelly Rissman
Luigi Mangione’s notebook reveals chilling alleged to do list and New York bomb plans
00:00
Kelly Rissman
Luigi Mangione allegedly laid out his plot to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a spiral notebook, including a chilling “to-do list” and plans considering using a bomb in the Manhattan attack.
The notebook was found alongside a 262-page manifesto, a ghost gun, silencer and false ID cards in the shooting suspect’s possession at the time of his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday, according to CNN.
Inside the notebook was a to-do list outlining tasks to be completed to carry out the killing, as well as notes that justified those plans, a source told the network.
In one of the notes, Mangione allegedly mused about different methods of murder, including the possibility of bombing Manhattan.
But, the note shows the 26-year-old suspect decided against using explosives over concerns this “could kill innocents”, the source said.
The source added that the notebook shows the suspect decided to carry out a more targeted attack, musing what could be better than “to kill the CEO at his own bean-counting conference.”
James Liddell has the full story.
Timeline of the manhunt
Thursday 12 December 2024 23:30
Kelly Rissman
December 4: The suspect set off from an Upper West Side hostel before dawn. He was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth at 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel where the UnitedHealthcare Group was holding its conference. After opening fire, the suspect fled by bike through Central Park before getting into a cab and was later spotted at a bus station. A manhunt ensued.
December 5: Investigators revealed a cryptic message carved onto the shell casings: “delay,” “deny” and “depose.” NYPD also released images of the suspect.
December 6: Police announce they believe the suspect has left New York City, expanding the desperate search. A backpack, thought to belong to the suspect, was found in Central Park and sent in for forensic testing. The now-viral “flirtatious” photo of the suspect speaking to a hostel worker was released.
December 7: NYPD releases another photo of the suspect, this time in the back of a taxi. The FBI also joined the hunt for the suspect, offering a $50,000 reward for information.
December 8: Although no leads on the suspect’s whereabouts were made public, investigators revealed the contents of the backpack included Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket.
December 9: A private service for Brian Thompson was held. Also that day, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania tipped recognized Mangione from the photos circulated by police. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on gun charges and hours later faced a murder charge in New York.
‘He had a lot of things going for him,’ Mangione’s high school classmate says
Thursday 12 December 2024 23:00
Kelly Rissman
A high school classmate of the suspect under arrest for fatally gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week said the news “came out of nowhere,” and described the situation as “just, really surreal.”
“He had a lot of things going for him,” Ellison Jordan, who graduated from the Gilman School alongside 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, told The Independent. “He was always cool people.”
Jordan attended Gilman, a prestigious all-boys prep school in Baltimore, with Mangione, and found him to be “a smart dude,” and “a regular guy,” he said on Tuesday.
“I’m being sensitive to Luigi, because I went to school with him,” Jordan, who has not spoken to the media previously about Mangione, went on. “I hope he didn’t do it. I’m praying he didn’t do it. It’s still ‘allegedly.’ It’s really shocking.”
At the same time, Jordan emphasized that he was keeping Thompson in his thoughts, saying he was fully aware the exec could “never go back to his family.”
Justin Rohrlich has the full story.
Joe Rogan discusses public reaction to Brian Thompson’s murder
Thursday 12 December 2024 22:30
Kelly Rissman
Joe Rogan chalked up the country’s mixed reactions to the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO to the “dirty business” of health insurance.
Rogan and his guests, filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, discussed the December 4 death of Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Tuesday’s episode of the mega-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The podcaster and his guests predicted there wouldn’t be much sympathy for the 50-year-old insurance executive due to the state of health insurance in the U.S.
“I don’t think anybody is going to be crying too hard over” Thompson’s death, Avary said.
“Maybe his family, but that’s about it,” Rogan replied. “It’s a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f***ing gross. It’s gross, especially healthcare insurance.”
Read the full story.
WATCH: McDonald’s customer speaks out about moment he spotted Luigi Mangione in fast food joint
Thursday 12 December 2024 22:00
Kelly Rissman
ICYMI: Penn professor retracts statements appearing to praise Luigi Mangione
Thursday 12 December 2024 21:40
Kelly Rissman
A professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League institution UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione attended, is retracting her social media posts that appeared to praise him.
Julia Alekseyeva, an Assistant Professor of English and Cinema and Media Studies, posted a TikTok video on Monday night swaying her left index finger back and forth to the tune of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Misérables.
She wrote: “Have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.” The post appeared to refer to Mangione’s prior attendance at the university, where he obtained undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. He also worked as a teaching assistant at the university after graduation.
Alekseyeva separately called Mangione, 26, “the icon we all need and deserve” in an Instagram story and reposted a joke article with the headline “Man engages in beautiful Italian tradition of taking matters into his own hands.”
Michelle Del Rey has the full story.
‘Wanted’ posters for health insurance executives have cropped across NYC
Thursday 12 December 2024 21:20
Kelly Rissman
The New York Police Department issued a bulletin on Tuesday warning that health insurance executives might be at risk after “wanted” posters featuring their images and salaries appeared around Manhattan.
The bulletin comes in the wake of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.
The NYPD suggested that Luigi Mangione, the 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of shooting Thompson, may be viewed as a “martyr” by some, and could inspire other attacks.
The bulletin notes that the shooter’s actions could have the “capability to inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence,” which was first reported by ABC News.
“Both prior to and after the suspected perpetrator’s identification and arrest, some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing, encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting,” the bulletin added.
Graig Graziosi has the full story.
More than $50k raised by public fundraiser to pay for Mangione’s legal bills
Thursday 12 December 2024 21:00
Kelly Rissman
A legal committee has raised more than $52,000 as of Thursday afternoon to pay for Luigi Mangione’s legal bills as he faces charges in both Pennsylvania and New York.
The December 4th Legal Committee launched the public appeal on GiveSendGo.
“Setting aside legitimate conversations about violence, there’s no denying that the suspected gunman, known popularly as The Claims Adjustor, has tapped into popular outrage over the quality and cost of privatized American healthcare,” said Carol Sherman, an organizer with the D4 Legal Committee, said in a statement. “We are dedicated to ensuring that he gets a fair trial with competent legal counsel.”
The fundraiser is aiming to raise $200,000. The proceeds “will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to reject the funds, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S political prisoners,” the fundraising page states.
Who is the lawyer representing Mangione?
Thursday 12 December 2024 20:40
Kelly Rissman
Luigi Mangione’s lawyer is a seasoned trial attorney based in Pennsylvania with more than 40 years of experience.
Thomas Dickey was brought onto the case on Tuesday, one day after his client was arrested in a McDonald’s in the town of Altoona. The 26-year-old now faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by New York prosecutors who are seeking his extradition to the state.
Dickey said he expects his client will plead not guilty.
The lawyer, who claims to be “one of the few death-penalty qualified attorneys” in Pennsylvania, said on Tuesday night that it was “concerning” his client had been denied bail at an extradition hearing at Blair County courthouse earlier in the day.
Mangione was hauled into court by police after making an angry outburst outside, which Dickey said he “didn’t hear” as he was already inside the building.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
What is a ghost gun?
Thursday 12 December 2024 20:20
Kelly Rissman
A ghost gun is a homemade firearm that bears no serial number, meaning it cannot be traced back to its original buyer if it is used in a crime.
It has always been possible to build such guns, but 3D printing has made it easier than ever before, and blueprints to do so are widely circulated on the internet.
When arrested, police said they believed Mangione was carrying a ghost gun made on a 3D printer.
Here’s more on ghost guns.
NYPD are getting closer to uncovering the suspect’s motive, according to a report
Thursday 12 December 2024 20:02
Kelly Rissman
Police are getting closer to understanding the motive of the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect, CBS News reported Thursday.
Investigators are looking into Mangione’s chronic back pain, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
“We’re learning that he did possibly suffer an accident that caused him to visit the emergency room back on July 4, 2023,” he told the outlet.
Mangione’s friends have told multiple outlets about his debilitating pain and the 2023 surgery he underwent.
Police are also analyzing the three-page handwritten manifesto and notebook — both detailing Mangione’s disgust with the health care industry — that were seized when the suspect was arrested.
“When you start using rhetoric like ‘These parasites had it coming,’ you are referencing an anti-corporatist mentality that goes beyond an individual grievance toward a particular injury he may have suffered,” NYPD’s deputy Commissioner, Intelligence & Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner told the outlet.
Mangione’s relatives say they are ‘shocked and devastated’ by CEO shooting
Thursday 12 December 2024 19:37
Kelly Rissman
Luigi Mangione’s family couldn’t merely afford medical care. They could afford to donate more than $1 million of their own money to healthcare.
That’s according to a report Monday from The Baltimore Banner, which chronicles the wealthy family history of the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Following the news of Mangione’s arrest Monday, his family released a statement saying they were “shocked.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione,” said the family in a statement posted on X by Luigi’s cousin Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the lower house of Maryland’s state legislature. “We only know what we have read in the media.”
Io Dodds has the full story.
ICYMI: Ro Khanna discusses reaction to murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Thursday 12 December 2024 19:10
Kelly Rissman
Inside Luigi Mangione’s family of prominent Baltimore business owners
Thursday 12 December 2024 18:52
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione's family couldn't merely afford medical care. They could afford to donate more than $1 million of their own money to healthcare.
That’s according to a report Monday from The Baltimore Banner, which chronicles the wealthy family history of the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Following the news of Mangione’s arrest Monday, his family released a statement saying they were “shocked.”
In the wake of the fatal shooting of Thompson, many speculated that the killer who carved "Deny, Defend, Depose" onto bullet casings intended for the CEO would be someone down on their luck — another victim, perhaps, of America's unequal and sometimes callous healthcare industry.
But the truth is somewhat different.
Read Io Dodds’ full report below.
What is a ghost gun? Police link untraceable firearm to Luigi Mangione
Thursday 12 December 2024 18:32
James Liddell
When the New York City Police Department caught up with the man accused of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, they found him with multiple fraudulent IDs and a 9mm “ghost gun,” according to authorities.
What is a ghost gun? Since the rise of 3D printers in the early 2010s, these untraceable firearms have become more and more common in American criminal cases.
Yet because these weapons have no serial numbers, it's basically impossible to know how many have been sold, how many are in circulation, and the number used in crimes.
Io Dodds has all the details.
Details of Mangione’s maximum security prison conditions emerge
Thursday 12 December 2024 18:12
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione is being held under maximum security conditions at the SCI Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, according to correction officials.
He has not been violent and is not under suicide watch or any psychological order, the officials told CBS News.
Mangione does not get to interact with any other inmates and is in a cell by himself, however, he is not in solitary confinement, the officials told the news outlet.
They added that he has not yet had outside time, but will eventually.
McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested hires private security
Thursday 12 December 2024 17:51
James Liddell
The Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s where Luigi Mangione was arrested on Monday before facing a murder charge in New York is said to have hired private security in a bid to safeguard workers, according to a report.
Two private security guards were in the fast food outlet when a Newsweek reporter visited on Wednesday, the outlet claims.
The Altoona Police Department had said that officers involved in the arrest have received threats since Mangione’s detention.
The McDonald’s branch was flooded with negative reviews, known as “review bombing”, which Google subsequently removed.
The Independent has contacted McDonald’s for more information.
Defense attorney says he will have ow experts look at NYPD’s forensic evidence
Thursday 12 December 2024 17:30
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione’s defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, said he may deploy experts to challenge the admissibility of the latest fingerprint and ballistic evidence against his client.
Fingerprints taken from Mangione upon his arrest in Pennsylvania on Monday allegedly match prints on a Starbucks water bottle and a KIND bar wrapper found near the scene of the Midtown homicide, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
And the gun seized during Mangione’s arrest at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s on Monday matches the shell casings found at the scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder, police say.
Dickey questioned the veracity of the evidence on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront on Wednesday.
“And then we would have our experts,” he said.
“We would have experts take a look at that, and then we would challenge its admissibility and challenge the accuracy of those results.”
Michael Moore responds to Luigi Mangione’s cryptic message
Thursday 12 December 2024 17:11
James Liddell
The acclaimed American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has responded to a cryptic message left by Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.
Mangione faces a second-degree murder charge for the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on 4 December.
At the crime scene, Mangione reportedly left behind bullet casings engraved with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend.”
The inscriptions appear to reference the 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It, which has surged in popularity on Amazon’s insurance law bestseller list since the incident.
Greg Evans has the full story.
Watch: Mangione case places 3D-printed firearms in the spotlight
Thursday 12 December 2024 16:50
James Liddell
Mangione’s lawyer continues to challenge ‘evidence’ against his client
Thursday 12 December 2024 16:30
James Liddell
Thomas Dickey, Luigi Mangione’s defense attorney, continues to claim he hasn’t “seen the evidence” against his client.
The gun seized during Mangione’s arrest at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s on Monday matches the shell casings found at the scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder, police say.
And fingerprints taken from Mangione upon his arrest in Pennsylvania on Monday allegedly match prints on a Starbucks water bottle and a KIND bar wrapper found near the scene of the Midtown homicide, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
“I still haven‘t seen that evidence. Lawyers need to see evidence,” Dickey contested on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront on Wednesday. “Saying you have something and getting that admitted into court are two different things.”
He continued: “So that‘s why, as lawyers, we need to see it, we need to see how did they collect it, how much of it matches. You know, I don’t want to get too technical, but fingerprints, they go by ridges, different things like that.”
Mangione’s prison inmates shout ‘free Luigi’ from their cells
Thursday 12 December 2024 16:09
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione’s fellow prison inmates have called for his release claiming his “conditions suck”.
NewsNation spoke exclusively to those incarcerated along with the shooting suspect at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania.
“Luigi’s conditions suck,” inmates shouted to correspondent Alex Caprariello from their cells in a segment aired on Thursday. “Free Luigi.”
Mangione apparently doesn’t have a TV in his cell and is forced to eat the prison’s “terrible” food, which includes fruit, grits, scrambled eggs and “porcupine meatballs” for lunch – which are actually made from beef, according to the outlet.
Kathy Hochul expects ‘ironclad’ indictment against Luigi Mangione ‘any day now’
Thursday 12 December 2024 15:48
James Liddell
New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she expects an indictment against Luigi Mangione to be issued “any day now” which she says will be followed by a warrant for his extradition “the second that happens”.
Hochul said she trusts Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to put forth an “ironclad” indictment, following Mangione being charged with second-degree murder in connection with UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s death last week.
Mangione is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail cell where he faces gun charges.
Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday, the governor said: “I trust the DA here in Manhattan to put forward an indictment that is going to be ironclad. And that’s why there’s been a little time. People say, ‘why hasn’t something happened already?’ You want to get this right. You don’t want to have anybody, a defense attorney, be able to attack what you’ve done.”
She continued: “We expect that to be issued any day now. And it’s the second that happens, I’m issuing a warrant for extradition. I’ve already told the governor of Pennsylvania in multiple conversations, Josh Shapiro, and he’s working with me on this.”
Manhattan DA vows to bring Mangione to NYC to ‘face justice’
Thursday 12 December 2024 15:28
James Liddell
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg vowed to extradite Luigi Mangione to New York, where he faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomspon, so he can face justice.
“We will get the defendant here and get him to justice through our court proceeding,” Bragg told ABC News Wednesday
He added that Mangione could face additional charges beyond the murder charge as authorities continue to investigate the motive for the health insurer’s murder.
“As we learn more about motives and other things like that... there may be additional charges,” Bragg added.
UnitedHealth Group CEO vows to 'make healthcare work better’
Thursday 12 December 2024 15:07
James Liddell
Andrew Whitty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company to UnitedHealthcare, has vowed to “make healthcare work better for everybody in every way” according to a new memo.
“No matter what’s happening, we’re going to be there for the moms and dads who brought one of their kids to a clinic this morning,” he added, according to the note obtained by Newsweek. “We’re going to be there for the sickest and the most vulnerable among us, whose homes our nurses and case workers are visiting today.”
He continued: “We’re going to make sure medicines are filled, infusions are administered and people can navigate their therapies for the rarest states of disease.
“The same people who were counting on us last week are counting on us today — none of that’s changed. Our patients, our customers, partners and clients need us to be at our very best. And then again tomorrow. The day after next. Next week. Next month. Next year.”
He also called slain UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, “one of the good guys”.
“Brian was one of the good guys,” Witty added. “He was certainly one of the smartest guys. I think he was one of the best guys. I’m going to miss him. And I am incredibly proud to call him my friend.”
In pictures: ‘Luigi’ street art with UnitedHealthcare logo crossed out emerges in Seattle
Thursday 12 December 2024 14:47
James Liddell
Democrats call for ban of ghost guns
Thursday 12 December 2024 14:23
James Liddell
Every day, untraceable “ghost guns” claim the lives of Black and Brown youth in my district, leaving families devastated.
— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) December 11, 2024
It’s time to strengthen the Ghost Gun ban and enact regulations that protect our communities and save lives.https://t.co/TbugSoti1F
3D printed ghost guns are untraceable homemade weapons that can evade metal detectors. We must pass my 3D Printed Gun Safety Act and stop the proliferation of these dangerous guns. https://t.co/czx8Zuljzs
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) December 11, 2024
Reddit posts reveal Mangione’s anger at healthcare system
Thursday 12 December 2024 14:01
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione, the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, repeatedly shared his fury at the healthcare system and revealed a “nuclear option” to get doctors to approve health care procedures, according to an archived Reddit post.
Mangione, who is said to have had a spinal fusion surgery in 2023, complained on the site that medical authorities didn’t take people’s pain seriously, according to The Washington Post.
“Tell them you are ‘unable to work’ / do your job,” he wrote in one post. “We live in a capitalist society. I’ve found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how it’s impacting your quality of life.”
In another post, he told readers they could fake difficulty using their feet to convince doctors to give them back surgery.
“This is the absolute nuclear option, but there comes a point where it’s just ridiculous that people won’t operate on your broken spine,” he said.
Who is the slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?
Thursday 12 December 2024 13:43
James Liddell
Brian Thompson was laid to rest at a private funeral service in his Minnesota hometown on Monday.
That same day, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with murder in connection to the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s death.
The 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody in Altoona and is now being held without bond in Pennsylvania as he faces charges in two states. Mangione appeared for a hearing on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where he fought extradition to New York to face charges.
Here’s what to know about the slain health insurer.
More than $45k raised by public fundraiser to pay for Mangione’s legal bills
Thursday 12 December 2024 13:23
James Liddell
A legal committee has raised more than $45,000 to pay for Luigi Mangione’s legal bills as he faces charges in both Pennsylvania and New York.
The December 4th Legal Committee launched the public appeal on Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo, which garnered the vast sum after the 26-year-old was charged in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday. The fundraiser has a goal of $200,000.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that he gets a fair trial with competent legal counsel,” said Carol Sherman, an organizer with the December 4th Legal Committee.
The group says that proceeds will go to “other political prisoners in the US” if Mangione’s charges are dropped, or he rejects the funds.
It follows Mangione’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, telling CNN on Tuesday that his staff have gotten offers from the public to pay for his client’s legal fees.
The very online ‘gray tribe’ philosophy of Luigi Mangione
Thursday 12 December 2024 13:01
James Liddell
The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson followed Richard Dawkins and RFK Jr, tweeted about neuroscience and Japanese birth rates, and shared posts about how to think more logically.
The 26-year-old was fascinated by AI and decision theory; pro-technology but anti-smartphones; secular and scientific in his outlook, but in favour of religion on Darwinian grounds.
So, what does it all mean?
Io Dodds breaks it down.
Mangione’s attorney explains why shooting suspect grew ‘agitated’ outside courthouse
Thursday 12 December 2024 12:40
James Liddell
Luigi Mangione’s defense attorney Thomas Dickey has spoken out about his client’s outburst outside a Pennsylvania courthouse earlier this week.
The suspect faced an extradition hearing Tuesday in Pennsylvania after New York prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in connection with last week’s brazen killing in Midtown Manhattan.
“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!,” Mangione yelled as he was escorted in handcuffs into the Blair County Courthouse.
Speaking on CNN, Dickey shed light on why he believes the 26-year-old suspect became “agitated”.
“He’s irritated. Agitated about what’s happening to him and what he’s being accused of,” he said on Wednesday. “He never had any legal representation until he walked into that building yesterday.”
Dickey said that Mangione began acting differently after the hearing because he found “somebody that he can trust”.
“If you notice, look at the film, look at the difference between when he went in and when he came out,” Dickey continued.
“Once he got in, he finally had legal representation. I like to think he had somebody that he can trust and has faith in. Now he has a spokesperson and someone that’s going to fight for him.”
UPenn professor retracts statements appearing to praise Luigi Mangione
Thursday 12 December 2024 12:17
James Liddell
A professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League institution UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione attended, is retracting her social media posts that appeared to praise him.
Julia Alekseyeva, an Assistant Professor of English and Cinema and Media Studies, posted a TikTok video on Monday night swaying her left index finger back and forth to the tune of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Misérables.
She wrote: “Have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.” The post appeared to refer to Mangione’s prior attendance at the university, where he obtained undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. He also worked as a teaching assistant at the university after graduation.
Michelle Del Ray has the full story.
Watch: ‘Free Luigi’: Inside social media support for Luigi Mangione
Thursday 12 December 2024 11:56
James Liddell
Health insurance stocks have tumbled in days since United Healthcare CEO murder
Thursday 12 December 2024 11:35
James Liddell
The fallout from the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brain Thompson has led to a tumble in stock values for major insurance companies.
Thompson was shot and killed by a masked gunman, suspected to be 26-year-old Luigi Mangione a week ago in what is believed to be a targeted attack apparently based in part on grievances with the U.S. health insurance system.
The shocking nature of the shooting has shined a glaring spotlight on the worst parts of health insurance companies’ policies leading to a small anti-health insurance company movement online.
Ariana Baio has the full story.