The person accused of gunning down United Healthcare’s CEO exterior a Manhattan resort is now in a federal jail in New York, after he was returned to the town in dramatic vogue to face costs that might carry the demise penalty.
Shackled and sporting an orange jail jumpsuit, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was escorted Thursday by a contingent of closely armed cops as he was whisked by airplane after which helicopter from Pennsylvania to downtown Manhattan.
The Ivy League graduate, who prosecutors say inveighed in opposition to the medical health insurance trade and rich executives in his writings, then appeared in a packed federal courtroom on homicide, stalking and firearms costs within the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson. He was not required to enter a plea.
Right here’s what’s subsequent within the case:
Jailed in Brooklyn
Mangione is being held with out bail at Metropolitan Detention Heart, the identical federal jail the place hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried are at the moment detained.
The infamous Brooklyn facility, the one federal lockup within the metropolis, has been variously described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy” due to deplorable situations, rampant violence, dysfunction and a number of deaths.
The federal Bureau of Prisons has mentioned it’s rising staffing to make up for staggering shortfalls, however situations have been so stark on the jail, which homes about 1,100 inmates, that some judges have refused to ship individuals there.
State costs pending
In addition to the federal costs filed Thursday, Mangione should nonetheless reply to a state homicide indictment.
Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg’s workplace charged Mangione with homicide as an act of terrorism, which carries a most sentence of life in jail with out parole. He’s additionally charged with state weapons offenses and possession of a faux ID.
Prosecutors have mentioned the 2 instances will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state costs anticipated to go to trial first.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued in court docket Thursday that the terrorism allegations within the state case and stalking costs within the federal criticism look like at odds.
“These are two utterly totally different theories,” she mentioned. “These seem to be totally different instances.”
The U.S. Supreme Courtroom in 2019 upheld a longstanding constitutional rule permitting state and federal governments to prosecute somebody for a similar crime.
Subsequent look unsure
It’s nonetheless not clear when Mangione shall be arraigned on the state indictment.
Spokespersons for the state courts and Bragg’s workplace didn’t have any updates Friday.
The College of Pennsylvania alum, who hailed from a distinguished Maryland household and had additionally lived in Hawaii, had been anticipated to be arraigned Thursday on the state cost earlier than the federal costs preempted that look.
Within the federal case, Mangione may subsequent return to court docket for a bail listening to or for a preliminary listening to if prosecutors don’t get hold of a grand jury indictment by mid-January.
Dying penalty looms
New York successfully successfully abolished its demise penalty by 2007 and the final execution within the state was in 1963. However the federal demise penalty stays in impact.
The federal criticism filed in opposition to Mangione features a depend of homicide by firearm, which carries the opportunity of the demise penalty if he’s convicted.
Federal prosecutors haven’t mentioned if they may search the demise penalty. That call shall be made in coming months by Justice Division officers in Washington, doubtless after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.
President Joe Biden’s administration put a moratorium on federal executions quickly after he took workplace in 2021, however that hasn’t stopped federal prosecutors from searching for the demise penalty.
In distinction, Trump’s administration carried out 13 executions within the final six months of his first time period.
Pennsylvania costs on standby
Mangione additionally faces forgery and firearms costs in Pennsylvania stemming from his arrest final week, however these will doubtless not be addressed till the New York costs are resolved.
He initially fought makes an attempt to be returned to New York, however finally waived extradition and a preliminary listening to on the Pennsylvania costs on Thursday.
“He’s now of their custody,” Blair County District Legal professional Peter Weeks mentioned after Mangione was extradited to New York. “We intend to maintain our case lively and we intend to primarily revisit the case when the defendant is out there for prosecution in Blair County.”