Prosecutors claim Luigi Mangione’s rage against health care industry led to CEO’s murder – CBS News
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By
Caroline Foreback
February 21, 2025 / 11:23 PM EST
/ CBS Baltimore
During a preliminary pretrial hearing Friday, prosecutors claimed 26-year-old Baltimore County native, Luigi Magione, was driven by anger at the health insurance industry as they described some of the evidence they submitted. “…Body camera, surveillance camera, they’ve given over phone tracking information, DNA evidence…,” said Andrew Alperstein, a Maryland defense attorney. Magione pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, in the killing of United Healthcare C.E.O, Brian Thompson, outside the Hilton Midtown Hotel on December 4. “In New York, a willful, intentional, premeditated murder is a second-degree murder. That carries up to life but it’s parole-eligible,” Alperstein explained. However, first-degree murder in New York carries a maximum of life without parole and for that, defense attorney and former prosecutor, Andrew Alperstein, says prosecutors will have to prove that Mangione’s intent wasn’t just to kill Thompson, but to terrorize the population. “That’s why terrorism is the magic word,” said Alperstein, who thinks it’s a stretch.”…to show that by killing Mr. Thompson, there was an intention to coerce and intimidate the community as a whole. I think that’s going to be an uphill battle for the prosecutors.” Mangione also faces federal murder charges that are eligible for the death penalty. “The notoriety of this case, and because New York State doesn’t have the death penalty, and the federal government does have the death penalty…,” he explained. “The feds haven’t said yet that they’re going to pursue the death penalty, but that’s obviously why this is happening.” On Friday, crowds of people showed support for Mangione outside the hearing. “Luigi Mangione has caught on to a cultural issue that people have really strong feelings about, and people have galvanized behind him,” said Alperstein. But Alperstein says glorifying this conduct actually hurts Mangione’s case rather than helps. “That really causes the government to say, this is not okay, and we have to send a strong message that this is not okay,” he explained. The judge today set an April 9 deadline for the defense to submit pretrial motions and gave prosecutors until May 14 to respond. The judge is expected to rule on the motions on June 26. Mangione’s next appearance is in federal court on March 19.
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