CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione will waive extradition, could be returned to New York Thursday
Luigi Mangione faces charges including second-degree murder in the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO
NEW YORK -- Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will waive extradition and expects to be returned to New York as soon as Thursday, his attorney said Wednesday.
The judge in Pennsylvania must accept the waiver or go forward with a scheduled hearing Thursday morning immediately following a separate hearing on the local charges Mangione faces.
Assuming the extradition paperwork is in order, the NYPD would transport Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York.
A special edition of "20/20" airing Dec. 19 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC looks at the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the manhunt that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione, who went from the Ivy League to alleged killer.
WATCH 'Manhunt: Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder': Watch special edition of '20/20' this Thursday
Mangione, 26, is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO headed to an investors conference. Prosecutors alleged Mangione waited nearly an hour for Thompson to arrive.
A Manhattan grand jury has upgraded charges against Mangione to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The slaying in the heart of Midtown Manhattan unfolded as tourists, commuters and residents were on the streets and was "intended to evoke terror," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
RELATED | Timeline of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting
In Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 after nearly one week on the run, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.
When Mangione was apprehended, he had a 9 mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two ammunition magazines and live cartridges, prosecutors said.
RELATED | Supporters of suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione establish defense fund
Mangione is also charged in New York with: two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
His court appearance in Pennsylvania is set for 9 a.m. Thursday.
