MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
When does a killing also qualify as an act of terrorism? Prosecutors in New York City used that word as they wrote out the charges against Luigi Mangione. He was indicted yesterday for murder after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
NPR's Sarah Ventre is covering the aftermath of this story in New York. Good morning.
SARAH VENTRE, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: OK. Why call it terrorism?
VENTRE: Well, understandably, there have been a lot of questions related to that. Here's what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had to say at a press conference yesterday.
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ALVIN BRAGG: You know, in its most basic terms, this was a killing that - it was intended to evoke terror. And we've seen that reaction.
VENTRE: New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch also spoke at the press conference, and she was very concerned about the reaction to Thompson's killing. She says that social media, quote, "erupted with praise," and she really wanted to emphasize that there was nothing to celebrate here.
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JESSICA TISCH: In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompson's killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder. And any attempt to rationalize this is vile, reckless and offensive to our deeply held principles of justice.
INSKEEP: But it keeps going on. Is this right - there's been crowdfunding for Luigi Mangione's defense?
VENTRE: Yeah, there has been. There's been a lot of reporting about how the site GoFundMe has taken down fundraisers for Mangione, but other sites have raised quite a bit of money. One site says it has raised almost $150,000 as of this morning. And on that site, people posted comments about how they feel that the healthcare industry has let the American public down.
INSKEEP: OK, so that is the way that some people see this. Prosecutors see this as terrorism. What else did the charges say?
VENTRE: Well, they were filed in the New York State Supreme Court, and they include one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree. If he's found guilty, he could face life without the possibility of parole. Now, the other eight charges are related to criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. That was a New Jersey driver's license that was allegedly used to check into a hostel in New York. I reached out to Mangione's attorney in New York, but she declined to comment. NPR also reached out to UnitedHealth Group for comment, and the company said, quote, "this is an important step forward for seeking justice in the murder of our colleague, Brian Thompson. We will work with law enforcement authorities to help bring closure for Brian's family, friends and colleagues."
INSKEEP: OK, so the suspect is not yet in New York. He's being held in Pennsylvania. How does he end up getting brought across state lines?
VENTRE: OK, so tomorrow, there's going to be a preliminary hearing that is scheduled for him in Pennsylvania. That's for his Pennsylvania charges. Those include forgery, carrying a firearm without a license and giving false identification to law enforcement. Now, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said that, immediately following that preliminary hearing, there's going to be an extradition hearing so that he can be brought to New York. He had previously been fighting that extradition. But Bragg said they have indications that Mangione may waive that hearing, in which case he would be brought to New York immediately.
INSKEEP: OK. NPR's Sarah Ventre will continue following the story, whatever happens. Thanks so much, Sarah.
VENTRE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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