Luigi Mangione, accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, has been charged with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, but some legal experts view the charge as an overreach.
"This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror," Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said at a Tuesday news conference announcing the 11-count indictment against Mangione. If convicted of first-degree murder, Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Legal experts, however, question the terrorism charge. Criminal defense attorney Stacy Schneider suggested prosecutors may struggle to prove intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, as required under New York law.
"This victim was shot in the back of the head, not the front of the head, on a quiet sidewalk, early in the morning, in the dark," Schneider told CNN's Jake Tapper, arguing that the murder did not seem intended to be terroristic.
"The murder happened first, the outcry was second and totally unpredictable," she continued. "So, I think this might be a case of overreaching on murder one."
Former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth suggested the charge—which puts life imprisonment on the table—may be part of a strategy to push for a plea deal or jury compromise.
NYPD officials maintain the crime and its aftermath have caused "real-world" security concerns, with Commissioner Jessica Tisch calling the outpouring of online praise for Mangione a "shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder."
Originally published by Latin Times
