(ASSOCIATED PRESS) The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by helicopter Thursday to face new federal charges of murder and stalking, escalating the case after his earlier indictment on state charges.
Luigi Mangione agreed to go return to New York after a morning court appearance in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run. He was expected in a Manhattan federal court in the afternoon.
After his Pennsylvania court hearing, Mangione was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department officers who were in the courtroom and led him to a plane bound for Long Island. He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, where he was walked slowly up a pier by officers with assault rifles.
The federal complaint unsealed Thursday charges him with two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense. One of the federal charges, murder by firearm, could bring the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted. Federal prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue the such a punishment.
Mangione could face life in prison without parole if convicted on the New York state charges, which include murder as an act of terrorism.
In Pennsylvania, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said Thursday that he wanted to turn Mangione over to New York authorities as soon as possible.
“He is now in their custody. He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York," Weeks said.
