Luigi Nicholas Mangione (C) leaves the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on December 23, 2024.CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Mangione, dressed in civilian clothes, entered the croutroom in shackles under heavy guard. For the first time he formally addressed the charges, pleading “not guilty” to the 11 counts in the indictment, including one of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree, along with other weapon and forgery charges.

A Manhattan grand jury upgraded charges against Mangione last week to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism.

PREVIOUS, Dec. 19: Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, agreed to be extradited to New York during a court hearing in Pennsylvania, and is being flown back to NYC today.

Mangione faces 11 counts in New York, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, along with other weapon and forgery charges, according to the indictment.

“This is in his best interest, and we’re moving forward,” Mangione’s defense attorney Thomas Dickey said.

Federal charges against Mangione also are expected to be unsealed later today.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, five days after the shooting death of Thompson. He was charged in Pennsylvania with felony counts of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, and a misdemeanor count of using fraudulent identification.

PREVIOUS, Dec. 17: Charged with a premeditated murder today by New York prosecutors, Luigi Mangione faces life behind bars without parole if found guilty.

“We allege that Luigi Mangione carried out the brazen, targeted and fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in announced the 11 counts overall in the newly released indictment.

“This type of premeditated, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated, and my office has been working day in and day out to bring the defendant to justice,” the DA added. “I want to extend my heartfelt prayers to Mr. Thompson’s loved ones as they continue to grieve. This ongoing investigation is the product of an incredible partnership at all levels with the NYPD, and I want to thank Commissioner Tisch and the prosecutors and detectives who worked collaboratively to apprehend Mr. Mangione. He is now charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with three counts of murder and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.”

Fighting extradition to the Empire State from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on December 9 after a national manhunt, a masked Mangione gunned down Thompson on the street outside his NYC hotel in the early morning of December 4.

Since his arrest, as evident on late-night TV and social media, the alleged shooter has become an sickening cultural sensation as both a sex symbol and an advocate against alleged abuses by the heath insurance industry.

DA Bragg is expected to give a press conference this afternoon with New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on the just-released charges. In what is sure to be widely covered by cable news and the broadcast networks, Bragg is also anticipated to put emphasis on the ghost gun Mangione used and the danger of the proliferation of the technology that produces them.

3rd UPDATE, Dec 10 PM: The man charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week appeared at an extradition hearing Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, PA.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was again denied bail at the court hearing and will remain at Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. The court has given him 14 days to file for writ of habeas corpus, and a hearing will be scheduled if he does.

At the brief hearing, defense lawyer Thomas Dickey told the court that Mangione will not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Prosecutors have 30 days to obtain a governor’s warrant.

Mangione strugged with deputies as he entered the courthouse Tuesday, and could be heard yelling, in part, “it’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It’s lived experience!”