Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is facing charges of second-degree murder — not first-degree — as New York law terms the charges differently than in most other states.
Still, he is facing a sentence of 15 years to life behind bars if convicted, reported The New York Times.
According to state law, second-degree murder is defined as taking place when a suspect intentionally causes the death of another, reported the Times.
In many states, first-degree murder charges are filed when a killing is a premeditated crime, but in New York, first-degree charges require several aggravating circumstances, including killing a witness, a murder-for-hire, killing a person who works in law enforcement, killing someone while serving a long prison sentence, and murders that involve torture.
Both charges are punishable by up to life in prison, but first-degree murder has a minimum sentence of 20 years rather than the 15-year minimum required for second-degree murder.
The felony arrest warrant lists the charges against Mangione as murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, one count of criminal possession of a forged weapon in the second degree, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.
Mangione was to appear at a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Pennsylvania, which could lead to his extradition.
A court ordered that Mangione be transferred from a prison in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, to the Blair County Prison in Hollidaysburg to await the execution of the New York arrest warrant.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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