Maryland native Luigi Mangione's mom tried to find him weeks before CEO shooting
BALTIMORE -- Luigi Mangione, heir to a prominent Baltimore family, was reported missing by his mother weeks before United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot.
On Thursday, he faced judges in both New York and Pennsylvania where his lawyers said they would fight the murder charges.
Mother's efforts to locate
In the months before the shooting, Mangione disappeared from family and friends. He did speak to a British-based journalist.
"He did allude to his frustrations with the U.S. health care system. There was a brief exchange we had where he said the U.S. healthcare system was really expensive," Gurwinder Bhogal told CNN.
Bhogal also said, "He did talk about corporate greed. He didn't like corporate greed."
Last month from Baltimore, Mangione's mother reportedly alerted San Francisco police on November 18 her son was missing. San Francisco authorities then recognized Mangione after the shooting and told the FBI days before he was captured.
Prominent Baltimore family
Mangione's family has deep ties to the Baltimore area.
They own Lorien Health Services, a chain of nursing homes, as well as the Turf Valley and Hayfields Country Clubs and conservative news-talk radio station WCBM.
The family has only made one statement since Mangione's arrest.
His cousin Nino Mangione, a Republican state delegate representing Baltimore County, wrote, "Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news."
The FBI reportedly relayed the tip to NYPD
"The question becomes was there some sort of communication breakdown along the way? Did the NYPD take this seriously? What action did they take once they got this tip? So there are a lot of open questions," Michael Barba, a reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle, said.
An NYPD official said after the first photos of the suspect were released, Mangione's mother told authorities she did not believe it was him. Authorities said his mother spoke to them the day before her son was arrested. She did not identify him in the surveillance photos that were being circulated, but she did tell them it might be something she could see him doing.
Baltimore acquaintances shocked
Mangione was the valedictorian of the Class of 2016 at Baltimore's elite Gilman School.
Classmate James Sandberg told WJZ he knew Mangione "somewhat well" and "he was a nice kid." Mangione was the valedictorian of their class. A video of the 119th Gilman School Founder's Day Ceremony shows Mangione's speech.
Sandberg said he was "shocked" after someone shared an article about Luigi as a person of interest.
"Thought it was maybe a different Luigi Mangione," Sandberg said.
The Gilman School said in a statement. "This is a deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected."
Mangione in court
Thursday morning, officers led Mangione into a courtroom in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The hearing lasted 90 minutes.
Mangione spoke to his attorney and agreed to extradition as a row of officers with the NYPD waited to take him back to Manhattan to face charges in Thompson's killing.
Reporters swarmed Mangione's lawyer following the hearing.
"Everything we did today was in his best interest. We're ready now to move forward and start defending these charges in New York and Pennsylvania," his Pennsylvania-based attorney Thomas Dickey said.
A clean-shaven Mangione looked briefly at the cameras before officers placed him in a black SUV.
A caravan of police vehicles then took him to the airport, where Mangione was escorted onto a plane, headed for New York.
When he got to New York, Mangione was escorted to court by numerous, heavily armed officers.
He said little during his arraignment but calmly answered the judge's questions that he was aware of his rights.
At a news conference, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Mangione intended to cause terror.
The NYPD said Mangione targeted Thompson and criticized the healthcare industry in handwritten notes recovered during his arrest.
This week, prosecutors increased the charges to include first-degree murder and terrorism.
WJZ has learned federal prosecutors have charged Mangione with four counts—including murder, stalking and firearms offenses. The federal complaint includes surveillance images detailing Mangione's whereabouts the day of the murder.
Mangione's lawyer, former prosecutor Karen Friedman Agnifilo, declined to comment.
She wrote in a prior statement, "The federal government's reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought."
The prosecutor in Pennsylvania said he will not be dropping charges there.
"They are allegations at this point, but we are not in the practice of just dismissing charges simply because someone has more serious charges somewhere," Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said Thursday.
Mangione has a preliminary hearing on January 18.
