‘Extremely out of touch’: Suspected killer Luigi Mangione’s outburst outside court

The young man accused of brutally murdering a CEO had a furious message as he was led into a Pennsylvania courthouse, after being charged with murder.

Accused killer Luigi Mangione delivered a furious spray at reporters as he was led into a Pennsylvania courthouse on Tuesday local time, after being charged with murder.

The 26-year-old was arrested on Monday after a week-long manhunt over the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Hilton in New York on December 4.

Online court documents showed that Mangione has been charged on suspicion of one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm.

As he was taken into the Blair County Courthouse for his extradition hearing this morning, an orange jumpsuit-clad Mangione yelled at reporters: “It’s extremely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and the lived experience.”

Police tried to hurriedly push the suspect through the door of the building as he shouted.

Luigi Mangione is escorted by police to the Blair County Courthouse. Picture: Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10, 2024 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Picture: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP

Mangione delivered a furious spray at reporters as he was led inside. Picture: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP

New mugshots of Mangione released

Mangione was also pictured in an orange jumpsuit in new mugshots obtained by Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital also obtained a New York arrest warrant on Tuesday that says, “the cause of Mr Thompson’s death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the torso” and Mangione allegedly fired “several times” at the 50-year-old, “causing him to collapse on the ground”.

Mangione was pictured in new mugshots on Tuesday. Picture: Fox News Digital

Mangione was pictured in new mugshots on Tuesday. Picture: Fox News Digital

Mangione fights extradition to New York

Mangione is fighting his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York City, where he will face murder charges for the killing of Mr Thompson.

The Post reports Mangione sought bail – a request that was denied – and grinned at times throughout the hearing.

His lawyer, Tom Dickey, told Judge David Consigio: “My client is not waiving extradition. He is contesting it.”

The extradition process could take up to 45 days – now that Mangione has chosen to fight the order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul will have to submit a “governor’s warrant” to her Pennsylvania counterpart, Josh Shapiro’s formally requesting extradition.

Mangione will continue to be held at a Pennsylvania prison as his extradition proceedings continue.

Mangione is awaiting possible extradition to Manhattan. Picture: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP

Speaking after Mangione’s extradition hearing, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said New York’s prosecution of the murder suspect should take precedence over his Pennsylvania case.

“We do not intend to delay this defendant’s extradition to New York and we certainly – we’ve indicated to New York, their prosecution should take precedence, and then ours will follow,” he told reporters.

Why Mangione faces second-degree murder charge

Mangione has not yet been charged with murder in the first degree because New York has a higher threshold to satisfy the charge.

Under New York law, a suspect would face first-degree murder charges if they killed someone in law enforcement or a possible witness to a crime. The charge can also be applied if a killing was committed while serving a long prison sentence or for a murder-for-hire.

Second-degree murder is when someone intentionally kills another person, and carries a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Murder in the first degree carries a minimum sentence of 20 years – but both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Mangione pictured at McDonald’s moments before arrest

Pennsylvania State Police released new photos of Mangione at the Altoona McDonald’s where he was arrested.

In the images, Mangione wears a blue medical face mask and beanie, and holds what looks to be a hash brown in his hand.

According to a criminal complaint, Mangione allegedly “became quiet and started to shake” when he was approached by police, who asked if he had been in New York recently.

A McDonald’s employee was the one to recognise Mangione and report him to police.

Mangione inside the Altoona McDonald’s moments before his arrest. Picture: Pennsylvania State Police

Mangione inside the Altoona McDonalds moments before his arrest. Picture: Pennsylvania State Police

Moment that ‘changed everything’ for Mangione

As investigators continue to piece together a possible motive for the “targeted” killing of Mr Thompson, it has emerged that Mangione may have developed a grudge against the US health system following a back injury.

Mangione, who was born and raised in Maryland and whose last known address was in Honolulu, was reported missing by his mother on November 18, police sources told The New York Post.

The suspect had reportedly not been in touch with his family since undergoing back surgery in 2023 for an injury sustained in a surfing accident, according to accounts from several of his friends and social media posts.

Investigators are continuing to piece together a possible motive for Brian Thompson’s murder. Picture: Facebook

Mangione in a police mugshot taken Monday, hours after his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald's.

Jack Mac, a staffer at media outlet Barstool Sports, said high school friends of the alleged shooter claim he was “crazy” after being injured.

“Spoke with a source that had a lot of friends that went to high school with Luigi Mangione,” he wrote.

“What keeps coming up is a back surgery that ‘changed everything’ for him and he went ‘absolutely crazy’.

“Back injury happened when he was surfing in Hawaii. Surgery didn’t go great. Moved to Japan. His contact with family stopped about a year ago. Recently the family reached out to his friends from high school asking if they had info on him.”

A back injury Mangione sustained while surfing ‘changed everything’ for him, friends said. Picture: Instagram

Mangione ‘likely views himself as a hero’

In a handwritten manifesto recovered by investigators during his arrest on Monday, Mangione denounced healthcare companies, pointing to UnitedHealthcare as one of the biggest in the US by market capitalisation.

“The reality is, these [companies] have gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit,” Mangione wrote in the two-and-a-half page document addressed to “the Feds”, according to The Post.

“These parasites had it coming. I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

According to an internal police report, officials noted that, based on Mangione’s manifesto, “he likely views himself as a hero of sorts who finally decided to act upon such injustices.”