Critical evidence has been collected by detectives that places suspected assassin Luigi Mangione at the scene of the cold-blooded murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan, according to two police officials on Wednesday. The evidence, a set of fingerprints, ties Mangione to the scene and essentially confirms that he was the man responsible for the slaying.
Hey, remember how the internet went wild when this all first happened and everyone screamed about how the killer was obviously a professional hit man? Yeah, I think it’s safe to say this was not professionally done. People who actually make a business out of human elimination do not leave fingerprints and pull their masks down to flirt with pretty girls. This is just an additional reason for not listening to random strangers hypothesize about things on social media.
Check out more details about the fingerprints tying Mangione to the crime scene from The Daily Wire:
The fingerprint match is the first forensic evidence reported that directly ties Mangione to the crime scene in Midtown Manhattan, CNN reported. Mangione was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was spotted by a person at McDonald’s who recognized him from photos circulated by the NYPD. When he was questioned by local police, Mangione allegedly showed them a fake New Jersey ID that matched the fake ID presented by a person of interest at a Manhattan hostel last month.
Mangione was charged with firearm and forgery crimes in Pennsylvania and then slapped with a second-degree murder charge, along with more firearm charges, in New York. On Tuesday, his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told a judge that Mangione is fighting his extradition to New York, starting a process that could last weeks as the suspect is entitled to an evidentiary hearing. Dickey requested the judge set bail, but the judge refused, and Mangione will be held behind bars in Pennsylvania during his extradition process. Mangione will plead not guilty to his charges in Pennsylvania, Dickey told reporters on Tuesday. The defense lawyer said he expects Mangione to plead not guilty to charges in New York and added that he would potentially represent the suspect there.
“I haven’t seen any evidence that they have the right guy,” Dickey went on to say on Tuesday evening during an appearance on CNN. So photos and fingerprints aren’t evidence? I’m at a loss for words here. I get that he’s the defense attorney representing his client, but come on. The American people aren’t stupid. Dickey’s job as an attorney is to ensure that Mangione gets a fair trial as guaranteed by the Constitution. Somehow being a defense attorney has shifted into proving the innocence of a person rather than making sure their rights aren’t violated.
Altoona police reportedly found that Mangione was in possession of a homemade firearm and suppressor. Both the gun and the suppressor were 3D printed, according to authorities. Surveillance video of the assassination appeared to show the killer using a handgun with a suppressor. Mangione was also in possession of a 262-page manifesto that raged against health insurance companies and specifically called out “United.” Mangione allegedly wrote in the manifesto, “To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.”
New York reserves the first-degree murder charge for killing for hire, killing a person in law enforcement, killing a witness, killing while serving a long sentence, and killing with torture, according to The New York Times. First- and second-degree murder convictions in New York can result in life in prison, but the minimum sentence differs from 15 years under second-degree murder to 20 years under first-degree murder.
Mangione seems to be a bit unhinged mentally speaking, a point made when sheriff’s deputies had to restrain him as he yelled like a madman while being escorted for his extradition hearing on Tuesday. Several news publications reported that the suspect shouted, “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It’s lived experience.” Other outlets reported that he yelled, “It’s completely an injustice …”