Luigi Mangione to appear in Manhattan court to face state charges in death of UnitedHealthcare CEO

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Luigi Mangione to appear in Manhattan court to face state charges in death of UnitedHealthcare CEO

2024-12-23 13:30 Last Updated At：13:41

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court Monday on murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. His initial appearance in New York State Supreme Court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting.

The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges are life in prison without parole. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec 4.

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges on Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a “frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”

“In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror,” he added. “And we’ve seen that reaction.”

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach “very confusing” and “highly unusual.”

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

He was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams said he was hoping to send a message to the suspect: “I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city — the city that the people of New York love,” the mayor told a local TV station. “I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.”

An Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months. He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain. He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

Thompson, a married father of two high-schoolers, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

The killing has prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione serving as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. It also has sent shockwaves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they have received a spike in threats.

Elaborate holiday light displays are making spirits bright in a big way

2024-12-23 13:27 Last Updated At：13:41

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music, drawing crowds and bolstering both holiday and community spirit.

In a cul-de-sac in Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been going all-out on holiday lights for the last 30 years in a tradition that hasn’t been diminished by real estate turnover.

Those buying homes in the neighborhood often find the attics full of décor left behind as a gift from the previous owners, and despite cultural and religious differences, residents come together to create a festival of lights, Stephanie Castillo Price said.

“Everybody has been able to take their interpretation of the holidays and put it into a full circle,” she said. “There’s not somebody that’s going to walk down the street and not feel included.”

In Santa Clarita, California, residents of Wakefield Court decided to coordinate their holiday light displays as a way to bring some joy to their community after an earthquake. Now in its 30th year, the Wakefield Winter Wonderland includes inflatable figures and wooden cutouts of a variety of characters, from Mickey Mouse to Homer Simpson.

Bryan Cobb admits he initially was against buying a home in the neighborhood when he and his wife first viewed it.

“She started crying and said, ‘But this is the Christmas street! I want to live there!’” he said. “She got her way. We live here, we love it. All the neighbors bond together.”

In Edmond, Oklahoma, those looking to the western sky will easily spot the Miranda family's elaborate holiday light display featuring images and music from the movie “Wicked.” Spotlights reminiscent of movie studio lights shoot up from the roof, while a singing witch’s face takes shape across a towering tree.

“It just seemed like the perfect fit with a light show because you can really do the drama with the lights,” said Elisabeth Miranda, who handles the programming while her husband, Mark, tackles installation. “It takes a very long time to set up. Every single bulb has a spot, a place, a number, so that when we program it, it does exactly what it needs to do at the right time.”

The family started putting up holiday lights in 2015 and saw a surge in traffic after being featured on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” While most neighbors have been supportive, a few complaints prompted the couple to take a few years off before returning with a better plan to limit viewing hours and control traffic.

This year, they are collecting donations for the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police.

“They give so much back to our community, so that’s our little way of saying thank you to them for everything they do for us,” Miranda said.

Charity also is a component in Las Vegas, where Laura Walters and Lenny Standish are closing in on a four-year goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of socks and underwear for organizations that help homeless people.

Their display started during the COVID-19 pandemic with a single Christmas tree for community members to add ornaments. This year, they have three snow machines in addition to the lights and music.

“People are looking for joy,” Walters said. “Our world is a tough place. So to be able to just come and feel just an incredible amount of love and happiness — it’s peaceful. We’ve never had one problem here at all. Everyone’s been highly respectful of our home and full of gratitude.”

Richard Taylor of Kennesaw, Georgia, estimates that more than 40,000 people visit his display of 1.2 million lights each year.

“We bring joy to a lot of people,” he said. “They walk around and they forget all their problems, and they just enjoy themselves.”

Associated Press video journalists Ty ONeil in Las Vegas, Ross Franklin in Arizona, Ron Harris in Georgia and Marcio Sanchez in California contributed to this report.