Luigi Mangione could waive extradition to New York in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, Manhattan DA says

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione’s days in a Pennsylvania correctional institution appear to be numbered. 

The 26-year-old charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot to death on Dec. 4, may soon drop his fight against extradition to New York, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg revealed Friday. 

“Indications are that the defendant may waive. But that waiver is not complete until a court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday,” Bragg said. 

Manhattan prosecutors seeking to indict Mangione have already begun presenting evidence to a grand jury, sources tell CBS News. 

“This case as it’s been made public so far is a very solid case,” said CBS News law enforcement contributor Rich Esposito. “And if you present it to a grand jury in that logical way, you can’t speculate, but I would find it almost impossible that they don’t indict.” 

Mangione was captured five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was taken into custody on forgery and firearm charges and is currently being held in maximum security. 

New York governor intends to issue warrant for Mangione

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she intends to issue the governor’s warrant for his extradition as soon as possible. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would then have to sign it. Once that happens, Mangione would appear before a Pennsylvania judge to confirm he is the person being sought in New York, possibly through fingerprints or DNA found at the scene.

“We’ll be ready. Whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he’s going to contest extradition,” Bragg said. 

Mangione has been fighting his extradition to New York. His attorney says he intends to plead not guilty and wants to examine the evidence. NYPD sources tell CBS News once he is returned, there are plans to upgrade the charges from second-degree murder to premeditated first-degree murder. 

Mangione’s attorney declined to respond to Bragg’s comments, citing attorney-client privileges. 

Key questions still surrounding suspect in CEO’s murder

Law enforcement sources tell CBS News the evidence is adding up against Mangione. Sources say police have matched the gun he was found with to shell casings at the scene, and his fingerprints to those found on a water bottle and KIND bar from a nearby Starbucks. Sources also say he was found with handwritten notes against the healthcare industry. 

But investigators are still trying to answer key questions in the case, including what was the suspect doing in New York for 10 days before Thompson’s murder, what did he do in Pennsylvania upon fleeing, and where did he get equipment for the 3D-printed ghost gun believed to be the murder weapon? 

“It’s really important to know how someone made a weapon without a serial number, how someone got bullets for the weapon. Not so much for the evidence in this case, but for the ability to look at the same kind of issues in future incidents,” Esposito said. 

The NYPD says investigators now believe the suspect may have fled New York City on a train from Penn Station, and are no longer operating under the assumption he took a bus from Upper Manhattan. 

CBS News obtained an internal memo sent to UnitedHealthcare employees Thursday, in which UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said in part, “I know this has been an extraordinarily difficult week.”

“We owe it to Brian to make good on our promise to make health care work better for everybody, in every way,” the memo continued. 

The NYPD does not believe Mangione was ever a UnitedHealthcare client, but may have targeted it because it’s known as the country’s largest health insurance company.