Luigi Mangione will be extradited to New York to face charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a court heard Thursday.
The 26-year-old waived his right to an extradition hearing during a preliminary court appearance in Pennsylvania, the state he was arrested in on Dec. 9 after a five-day search.
“We relinquished him into the custody of the New York City Police Department and they will be taking him back to New York City in a safe and secure manner,” Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks told reporters after the hearing.
Mangione faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder — one of which was charged as an act of terrorism — for the Dec. 4 shooting of Thompson outside of a midtown Manhattan hotel.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione was seen escorted into the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg as protesters gathered outside to show support amid growing resentment against the insurance industry.
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Some of the signs seen held outside the courthouse read “Free Luigi,” “Death by denial is murder” and “Privatized healthcare is a crime against humanity.”
Asked about those demonstrators, Weeks said it’s “their right as American citizens” to demonstrate and show support for Mangione. However, he stressed that violence should never be used as a solution to a disagreement.
“I’m grateful that the police did their job and I’m grateful that that citizen … said something when they saw something,” he said, referring to a person who had reported seeing Mangione to police before his arrest. “We can all disagree with each other, but we should disagree with each other civilly and we should never use violence to effectuate a disagreement.”