Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of shooting dead healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, is facing new federal charges
The charges against Mangione include murder through the use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms charge
They come on top of state-level charges already filed in New York, which include first-degree murder
Mangione dropped his fight to be extradited from Pennsylvania earlier today and was flown to New York where he will appear at a court hearing this afternoon
The 26-year-old was arrested in a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania five days after Thompson was shot and killed on a Manhattan street outside a Hilton hotel
Mangione leaves court without a word and takes off in tiny plane bound for NY
Image source, ReutersAn NYPD helicopter carrying Luigi Mangione to Manhattan has just landed.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was among the officials, along with law enforcement officers, escorting him.
Mangione is set to appear in court later. Stay with us for the latest updates.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York
Outside the New York federal court on this chilly morning, a few demonstrators have gathered to protest against the federal and state charges Mangione is facing.
One woman is holding a sign that says “Luigi freed us”, while another criticises insurance lobbyists who “line politicians’ pockets”.
Mangione is expected to appear in federal court today after a complaint seen by CBS revealed new federal charges against him.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Pennsylvania
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks says his office still intends to prosecute Luigi Mangione
Although Mangione is now in New York to face murder charges, he still has several charges against him in Pennsylvania.
These include carrying a gun without a licence, forgery, falsely identifying himself to police, and possessing "instruments of crime".
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks says his office still plans to pursue their charges.
"We are not in the practice of dismissing charges because someone faces more serious charges somewhere else," he tells reporters shortly after Mangione’s extradition hearing.
"We intend to keep our case active... and revisit when the defendant becomes available."
During the hearing, prosecutors asked the judge that Mangione "be handed over to NYPD, and he shall not be returned to SCI Huntington", the Pennsylvania prison where he was being held.
The judge and Mangione’s lawyer agreed.
According to a federal criminal complaint seen by CBS, the BBC's US partner, Mangione is facing four new federal charges: murder through the use of a firearm, two stalking charges, and a firearms charge.
These are in addition to the state charges he faces in New York and Pennsylvania.
Stay with us for more information.
A plane carrying Luigi Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York, where he faces charges including first-degree murder, has just landed.
Mangione is expected to appear in a New York court later this afternoon.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Pennsylvania
Temperatures were below freezing this morning as I waited in line outside of the Blair County Courthouse here in Pennsylvania where Luigi Mangione later appeared.
Dozens of journalists, as well as Americans angry about the US healthcare system, huddled outside in the cold.
After we were let in, Mangione walked into the courtroom at roughly 08:30 (13:30 GMT) in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.
There were more than a dozen New York Police Department officers in the room, all seated directly behind him.
He appeared to be calm and displayed little emotion. His lawyer then told the court that Mangione agreed to be extradited to New York, reversing course from their position just days ago.
“We are now able to maintain and secure counsel in New York”, defence lawyer Thomas Dickey said, where the “more serious” charges are.
Not long after, Mangione stood up before Judge Dave Consiglio and said “yes” that he agreed to be extradited by New York police.
He is now being flown to New York, where he faces first-degree and second-degree murder charges.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
In most discussions, "extradite" refers to sending someone from one country to another to face charges.
Luigi Mangione's case, however, involves interstate extradition from Pennsylvania to New York.
The process is enshrined in the constitution, stating that someone charged with a crime in one state and found in another "shall on demand if the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up".
In practice, this means that a state governor - such as New York's - requests another state's governor to extradite, detailing the crime and confirming the suspect is wanted.
Most of these requests proceed quickly, and it's rare for suspects to contest. If they do, however, they're entitled to an evidentiary hearing in which evidence is shown.
It was initially believed that this would take place for Mangione, but he and his lawyer ultimately agreed to waive his right to contest his extradition to New York.
As we've been reporting, Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of shooting healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, attended two hearings today in Pennsylvania. One was for a gun charge in the state, and the other was about the request to extradite him to New York to face murder charges.
Here is a court sketch of him in multiple views, created in the approximately 10-15 minute interim between these two hearings at Blair County Court.
Image source, Reuters/Emily Goff
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockToday's court hearings have finished in Pennsylvania, and Luigi Mangione is set to be transferred to New York, where he's accused of killing healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Here's what we know today:
We have yet to hear from Mangione's legal team following today's proceedings, but earlier, the 26-year-old's lawyer said he has not seen sufficient evidence linking his client to the crime.
Stay with us for more updates.
As we've been reporting, Luigi Mangione is going to be transferred from Pennsylvania to New York.
Here's a quick recap of how things unfolded in the two places:
On 4 December 2024, UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot in New York City.
Five days after the attack, Luigi Mangione was picked up at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was allegedly carrying a so-called ghost gun, multiple fake IDs, and cash at the time of his arrest.
Today, he's dropped his fight to be extradited to New York to face murder charges.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
So far, shooting suspect Luigi Mangione has been in state custody in Pennsylvania since his arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona.
Now he will be transferred to New York after he agreed to drop his fight against extradition.
As we reported earlier, it is expected Mangione will also now be charged with a federal crime.
If he is hit with a federal charge, he is still likely to be initially held in New York's Rikers Island, the largest jail in New York City.
It is unlikely he is moved to the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC - a federal detention facility in Brooklyn - without an agreement with Alvin Bragg, New York's District Attorney.
Both facilities have been controversial in the past. Rikers Island is notorious for gangs and violence, while a justice department inspector general's report has described conditions at MDC as "excessively restrictive and unduly harsh."
Image source, ReutersMangione has now left court.
He is now in the NYPD's custody and will be moved from Pennsylvania to New York, where he has been charged with first-degree murder.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from court
I've just come out of the packed Blair County courthouse where Luigi Mangione and his lawyer have agreed to waive his right to contest extradition to New York.
His lawyer mentioned they were now comfortable moving forward with extradition, having previously wanted to contest it, because they've managed to secure counsel in New York where the most serious charges are.
In the courtroom, more than a dozen NYPD officers were seated in the rows behind Mangione, with three Blair County sheriffs standing directly over his shoulder.
He seemed unusually calm considering the situation he's in. I was surprised to see him, facing charges that could mean life in prison without parole, smiling at times. He even appeared to laugh with his lawyer, Tom Dickey.
It's been two weeks since he's alleged to have shot dead health insurance CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York hotel.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from court
Luigi Mangione has dropped his fight to be extradited to New York.
There were over a dozen NYPD officers in court.
He is expected to be transferred to New York today - though that was not explicitly confirmed.
While we wait for news from the hearing, let's take a moment to look back at Luigi Mangione's family background.
In recent weeks, the Mangione name has been associated with the murder of insurance CEO Brian Thompson.
But for decades, this name has meant something entirely different: wealth, power, prominence, philanthropy - particularly within the Italian community of Baltimore.
They are one of, if not the, "most respected" Italian families in the area, according to Giovanna Aquia Blatterman.
Now 77, Aquia Blatterman, who arrived in the US from Sicily in 1953, said she has known three generations of Mangiones.
The family is "generous" and "self-made", she said, while Luigi, whom she met briefly about eight years ago, appeared clever, approachable and handsome – "as you can tell".
"Something has occurred with him," she mused, referencing his alleged involvement in the murder. "He's two different people."
Luigi Mangione is now in court for two hearings. The first is about a gun charge in Pennsylvania, and the second is regarding his potential extradition to New York.
Our reporter is inside the courtroom, but there's an order for mobile phones to be turned off.
We'll update you as soon as we have any news.
Image source, NYPD handoutIn TikTok videos, memes and group chats, a young man accused of shooting a father-of-two in the back on a New York City pavement has been fawned over and praised as a kind of folk hero.
This fetishisation was remarkably widespread, not limited to radical corners of the internet or any political affiliation, troubling many observers.
"We do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," said Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, where Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's.
Almost immediately after UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead, the internet began to lionise his suspected killer. On TikTok, people posted videos of a "CEO assassin" New York City walking tour. On Spotify, playlists dedicated to the suspect started to appear.
Once Mangione was arrested, these fans came to his defence.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Pennsylvania courthouse
April drove six hours to stand outside court today
A few people have gathered outside the courthouse in Pennsylvania where Luigi Mangione is attending two hearings this morning.
One woman, April, tells me she’s driven six hours to get here today.
“I don’t agree with what happened, you know, violence, vigilantism… But violence has made changes in our country," she says.
She stresses that she “doesn’t agree” with the shooting of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but adds that she is outside the court “hoping for change and reform”.
She describes her challenges with the US healthcare system, after being born with cystic fibrosis and subsequently requiring medication for her whole life.
“You have to make yourself poor to get healthcare, or you’ll die”, she says, before setting out how some of the rules around insurance have limited her from completing milestones like buying a house and working a stable job.
As we've mentioned earlier, alongside the state murder indictment against Luigi Mangione in New York, the shooting suspect is also expected to face a federal charge.
In a statement sent to the BBC, Karen Friedman Agnifilo says the federal government's reported decision "to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case" is "highly unusual" and "raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns".
"We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought."
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
Image source, ReutersAlvin Bragg (C) said Mangione's "intent was to sow terror" by shooting Brian Thompson
Prosecutors in New York are using a little-known, decades-old anti-terrorism law in their case against Luigi Mangione, which could potentially mean a harsher sentence if he is convicted.
The charges, known as murder as an act of terrorism, apply when a crime is committed "with intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion or affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping”.
If convicted, the terrorism designation automatically means a harsher sentence.
As an example, the Associated Press noted that an assault, normally punishable by up to 25 years' imprisonment, would carry a potential life sentence.
According to New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Mangione's "intent was to sow terror" by gunning down Brian Thompson in a busy part of Manhattan on a weekday morning.
New York officials have also cited the anti-corporate message of Mangione's writings as warranting the terrorism designation.