Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting dead UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, has agreed to be extradited to New York, where he will face murder charges.
The 26-year-old waived his right to an extradition hearing at Blair County Court in Pennsylvania and was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.
He is being transferred to New York, where he will face charges related to the shooting of father-of-two Brian Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan on 4 December.
He is expected to face new federal charges in New York, multiple sources have told the Associated Press news agency.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, appeared in an orange jumpsuit at the court in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald’s after five days on the run.
The NYPD quickly led him to a waiting SUV and he then boarded a small plane bound for New York.
Mangione arriving in Manhattan. Pic: AP
Mangione was escorted by several officers as he arrived in Manhattan. Pic: AP
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan, where Mangione has now landed, are charging him with the federal crime of murder using a firearm, two charges of stalking and an additional firearms offense, according to a criminal complaint, Reuters news agency reports.
One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder by firearm, could bring the possibility of the death penalty but federal prosecutors haven’t said whether they’ll pursue such a punishment.
Mangione was arrested on 9 December and charged with murder the next day.
On 18 December, he was charged with murder as an act of terrorism. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted. He could appear in New York state court for arraignment today or tomorrow.
Sky News previously reported how court documents said Mangione began shaking when officers asked if he had been in New York recently.
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Upon being arrested, authorities said Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Mr Thompson, a passport, a fake ID and about $10,000 in US and foreign currency.
Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies “parasitic” and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press last week.
In Pennsylvania, Mangione has been charged with forgery and illegally possessing an unlicensed gun.
