When is an individual charged with second-degree murder? Everything to know amid Luigi Mangione’s extradition trial in UHC shooting case

Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, faced an extradition hearing on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. However, Mangione contested his extradition to New York.

The suspect was arrested in Pennsylvania for fatally shooting Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, and fleeing on a bike. Mangione was later apprehended at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. An employee recognized him from the photos released by cops.

On Monday, Luigi Mangione was arraigned in Blair County Courthouse for gun charges before being charged in New York.

He is facing five felony counts, including murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.

According to Law Info, an individual is charged with second-degree murder when the killing was intentional but lacked premeditation. Despite being less severe than first-degree murder, it is a serious crime with severe penalties, including life imprisonment.

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During the extradition hearing, the judge ordered Luigi Mangione's defense team to produce a habeas corpus in 14 days

According to an article by Forbes, despite shooting Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione was charged with second-degree murder because New York's laws allow first-degree murder charges for specific instances like the killing of a police officer or an emergency responder, killing as part of a terroristic act, or killing a witness to a crime to prevent testimony.

These charges are also applied in cases dealing with contract killers.

At the time of his arrest, Luigi Mangione was carrying with him a gun (believed to be used in the shooting), a fake ID, and a handwritten document indicating his motivation. He appeared at the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon for an extradition hearing.

When Magione arrived for the hearing, he could be heard yelling:

"It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It’s lived experience!"

Following the extradition hearing, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks in a press conference, stated:

"They (Luigi Mangione's defense team) have 14 days to file a petition for habeas corpus, and that would simply be a document challenging the commonwealth’s ability to prove that the defendant is the person that the state of New York has issued the arrest warrant for."

In simpler terms, a habeas corpus is a legal document for an inquiry to determine whether someone (in this case Luigi) is lawfully imprisoned. Mangione's legal team has 14 days to file a habeas corpus, following which a hearing would be scheduled for the same.

Weeks also asserted that his office will "do what’s necessary" to get Luigi Mangione to New York. He explained that contesting extradition "just provides more hoops for law enforcement," which he stated that prosecutors were happy to do.

Weeks also commented on the charges Luigi faces in Pennsylvania (the gun charge after arresting him with a firearm). He noted that the New York prosecution would take "precedence."

Additionally, Judge Dave Consiglio, overseeing the hearing, gave the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 30 days to obtain a governor’s warrant (in this case NY Gov. Kathy Hochul).

Luigi Mangione was denied bail (to the charges in Pennsylvania) and taken to State Correctional Institution Huntingdon (SCI Huntingdon) in Huntingdon County.