The attorney representing Luigi Magione, the suspect accused of shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the morning of Dec. 4 in Manhattan, told reporters on Tuesday that he was retained by Magione.
“We did not waive extradition and we’re contesting extradition. We are going to fight this along the rules and with the constitutional protections that my client has,” Magione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, told reporters outside the Blair County Courthouse.
Magione, 26, was arrested Monday morning at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee apparently recognized him with his mask on. When police apprehended the suspect, he had a laptop and a backpack containing a firearm and silencer, $8,000 in U.S. currency, $2,000 in foreign currency, a passport and a fake ID, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks, Esq., said during the extradition hearing Tuesday.
Weeks later told reporters during a press conference that he has been collaborating with New York City prosecutors and law enforcement regarding Magione’s extradition to Manhattan, where he is charged with second-degree murder.
“We’re going to do what’s necessary to get the governor’s warrant and we’re working with the New York City Police Department and the Manhattan DA’s Office, and we’re gonna get the defendant out there so they can prosecute him on their charges, so waiving [extradition] accelerates that process,” Magione said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Tuesday statement that she is “deeply grateful to the men and women of law enforcement whose efforts to solve the horrific murder of Brian Thompson led to the arrest of a suspect in Pennsylvania.”
“I am coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for a governor’s warrant to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable,” Hochul said. “Public safety is my top priority and I’ll do everything in my power to keep the streets of New York safe.”
Blair County Judge Dave Consiglio also denied bail for Magione on Tuesday.
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