Luigi Mangione sought to “sow terror” by shooting dead UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street this month, a New York prosecutor said on Tuesday in announcing Mangione had been indicted for murder.
Reuters reports that a grand jury indicted Mangione on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters. Mangione, 26, would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on all counts.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Bragg told reporters. “The intent was to sow terror.”
Mangione’s defence lawyer in New York, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, declined to comment.
Ivy League-educated Mangione was charged with murder on Dec. 9 for the killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel before a company conference, following a five-day manhunt.
