Luigi Mangione, suspect in the Brian Thompson crime, shouted before his hearing: “It’s unfair”

Luigi Mangione, alleged murderer of Brian Thompson, CEO of Unitedhealthcare, shouted this Tuesday, December 10, at the entrance to a courthouse in Blair County (Pennsylvania, USA): “”This is completely unfair and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and our experiences!“.

(Read also: What’s next for Luigi Mangione, captured after being accused of killing Brian Thompson in New York?)

The suspect, 26 years old, dressed in the orange prison uniform, He struggled with several agents until entering court where a hearing was held to study his transfer to New York.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, six days after the crime against executive Brian Thompson in the heart of Manhattan, which was followed by an interstate escape. His arrest was the result of a call from an employee of the hamburger chain, who recognized him from the photos published in the media..

At the hearing on Tuesday, December 10, Mangione’s defense hinted that he would challenge a possible transfer to a New York prison – according to US media – because it is a state where he is accused of murder, unlike the charges that faces in the state of Pennsylvania.

In addition to charging him with murder, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has already obtained an arrest warrant, a step that could help expedite his transfer from Pennsylvania. However, for the moment, Luigi Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of a firearm without a license, forgery and providing false identification to the authorities.

Mangione appeared in court for about 45 minutes in total, handcuffed and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, as could be seen in images that appeared on social networks. His attorney asked the judge to set bail, which the judge refused. He said that the young man has 14 days to request a writ of habeas corpus and gave New York prosecutors 30 days for the governor of that state, Kathy Hochul, to send a court order to her counterpart in Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, formally requesting the transfer.

(Also read: Who is Luigi Mangione?)

New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated on a morning television show that he had “the opportunity to read the manifesto” found on him at the time of his arrest. “It is handwritten. Gives some indication that he is frustrated with the health care system in the United States“he declared.

Kenny pointed out that the detainee denounced in the manifesto that the American health system is one of the most expensive in the world and, however, the country has a lower life expectancy than other developed nations. “He wrote extensively about his disdain for corporate America and particularly the healthcare industry.“Kenny said.

(Read also: Video of the crime of the CEO of Unitedhealthcare in Manhattan is revealed)

Police have not yet confirmed media reports that the words “delay” and “deny” – language often used by insurance companies to reject claims – were written on bullet casings found at the crime scene.

Luigi Mangione will have to appear in court on December 23.

When he was captured, he showed officers a false ID, charging documents show, and during the search police found him a “ghost gun” capable of firing 9mm bullets and equipped with a silencer.

According to The New York Times, which quotes friends of Mangione, The suspect lived with severe back pain and in 2023 underwent surgery for that condition.

Thompson, the victim, was attending an investor conference in the Midtown business district. The crime occurred in front of the Hilton hotel, in one of the busiest areas of the Manhattan district, the tourist center of the Big Apple.

UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States, with 440,000 employees. In the third quarter of the year it had a turnover of 100.8 billion dollars.

Father of two children, Thompson had been with the company for more than twenty years and since 2021 he had led its health subsidiary UnitedHealthcare, which has about 140,000 employees and offers health plans to private employers and people insured by state programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.