On Dec. 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside of the New York Hilton Midtown, the hotel he was staying at. Luigi Mangione was later arrested at a McDonald from a tip-off to the police and FBI and taken into custody on Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. During the arrest, they found a matching pistol and silencer that was the same as the footage on the street cameras around the scene.
Brian Thompson’s death was like a turning point for the country because he owned UnitedHealthcare, an insurance agency. It has recently gotten a lot of hate for trying to figure out how to cut costs to make more money, for example refusing to give certain people healthcare that is very important for their health. The fact that Luigi decided the best course of action was to kill the company’s CEO was influential to the UnitedHealthcare community.
Mangione was charged with murder in the first degree and two charges of murder in the second degree, one of which included his crime as an act of terrorism. He was also charged with a grocery list of accusations about the legality of the gun and silencer found on him. All of these charges came from New York.
Katharine H. Parker, a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. district court in southern New York, is the primary judge assigned to the pre-trial hearings. She has several conflicting interests surrounding this case, including Bret Parker, her current husband and the former vice president at Pfizer. Parker also has stocks in Pfizer according to her financial disclosure in 2024. Because she’s going over the pre-trial hearings, she can decide the evidence New York can use. It is highly unlikely that Parker will govern the following trials. She has the ability to schedule future court dates for the case, along with debate about what pieces of evidence can be used along and what witnesses to call.
On Dec. 23, 2024, Mangione had an arrangement hearing notifying him of his charges and his rights as a U.S. citizen, the standard for most cases of this magnitude. After being asked if he pleaded guilty to these charges, he leaned into the mic and confidently said “Not guilty.”
Mangione also asked for an “expedited discovery,” meaning the prosecutors would receive less time to collect evidence for the case. He called his trial unfair because the case has been played up for the media and he has been treated like a spectacle, especially with a massive “perp walk” with many guards and police officers, despite him being cordial and cooperative the whole time. His lawyer Karen Agnifilo says his case is turning into a political spectacle with how the state of New York is treating it and the fact the mayor of New York was there for the “perp walk.” Mangione has a following trial that was delayed to late February, where he will likely again be put under the scrutinizing eye of the U.S. public.
With what he was charged with, he has a lot going up against him for pleading guilty to the murder of Brian Thomas, but it should all unfold with his upcoming trial. Possibly with less biased judges, likely making it less of a political spectacle.
