Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting dead UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street this month, was indicted for murder on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Mr Mangione was indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism.
The indictment accused Mr Mangione of murdering Thompson with the intent to “influence the policy of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion”.
“This type of premeditated, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated,” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement announcing the indictment.
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Mr Mangione’s defence lawyer in New York, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following a five-day manhunt, Ivy League-educated Mr Mangione was charged with murder on December 9th for the killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel before a company conference.
Mr Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, according to friends and social media posts, though it is unclear whether his personal health played a role in the shooting.
Mr Mangione is currently being held on gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week. Bragg’s office is seeking his extradition to New York. – Reuters
