Suspect in CEO's killing was not a UnitedHealthcare client, firm says
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Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with murder, is led from the Blair County Courthouse after an extradition hearing on Dec. 10 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer, a spokesperson for parent company UnitedHealth Group confirmed to Axios on Thursday night.
The big picture: NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York earlier Thursday there's "no indication" that Luigi Mangione "was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare," but evidence police allege the suspect wrote "does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America."
- That's possibly why the company was targeted in the Dec. 4 New York City shooting, said Kenny who alleged the suspect "had prior knowledge" that the conference Thompson was due to attend when he was killed "was taking place on that date, at that location."
- Mangione's defense attorney Thomas Dickey, who is representing him on forgery and gun charges in Pennsylvania, said the 26-year-old would plead not guilty in the state and suggested he'd do the same with the New York counts, which include a murder charge.
What they're saying: "Today we are confirming that [Mangione] and his mother were not UnitedHealthcare members," a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group said in a statement first shared with the Star Tribune on Thursday.
- "We are working closely with law enforcement officials who continue their investigation of this horrific crime, and we continue to support those who depend on us for their health care."
Between the lines: AP notes that UnitedHealthcare isn't the fifth-largest company by market capitalization, though it is in the top 20 and is the biggest health insurer in the U.S.
Zoom in: Kenny gave more details to NBC New York on the spinal fusion surgery investigators believe Mangione underwent.
- "It seems that he had an accident that caused him to go to the emergency room back in July of 2023, and that it was a life-changing injury," Kenny said.
- "He posted X-rays of screws being inserted into his spine. So the injury that he suffered was, was a life-changing, life-altering injury, and that's what may have put him on this path."
What we're watching: Mangione, who remains in jail after being denied bail, is fighting extradition to N.Y.
- A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 30 at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Penn.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday she expects an indictment to be issued in N.Y. "any day now and at the second that happens, I'm issuing a warrant for extradition."
More from Axios:
- America obsesses over Luigi Mangione's digital footprint
- Corporate America gets more reclusive following CEO's killing
- Book is a bestseller after "delay," "deny" bullet casings found on CEO killing site
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
