Luigi Mangione, 26, currently housed at the state prison in Huntingdon as a Blair County Prison inmate, is expected to remain there pending a Blair County court hearing on a fugitive from justice petition seeking to have Mangione returned to New York to address a second-degree murder charge.

Mangione, who is accused in the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, was arrested Monday at the McDonald’s restaurant on Plank Road. Altoona police officers, based on photos and videos circulated by the New York City police, identified Mangione as the suspect accused of killing Thompson.

In Altoona, police charged Mangione with felony counts of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license and three misdemeanors.

In court Tuesday, District Attorney Pete Weeks told Judge David B. Consiglio that his office received and verified an arrest warrant for Mangione held by the New York City police department.

Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks holds a news conference at the Blair County Courthouse following Luigi Mangione’s fugitive from justice hearing on Tuesday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Defense attorney Thomas M. Dickey told the judge that he received two documents just before Tuesday’s hearing started and neither referred to a charge of criminal homicide.

Weeks countered that the documents showed a penal code reflecting second-degree murder, an intentional killing in New York.

Consiglio, after hearing Dickey ask for time to contest the extradition, allotted 14 days for the defense attorney to apply for a writ of habeas corpus with inquiries and challenges on the arrest warrant.

Consiglio also allotted 30 days for Weeks’ office to secure a Governor’s Warrant from New York, a legal document justifying the warrant and the basis for Mangione’s extradition.

Consiglio said that if the habeas corpus petition is filed, he will schedule a court hearing.

These images taken from a security camera at McDonald’s along Plank Road show alleged gunman Luigi Mangione before his arrest on Monday. Courtesy photo

Dickey said after the court adjourned Tuesday that he has not yet seen the New York charges, but intends to follow through with challenges to the extradition.

“I’m going to fight this tooth and nail on behalf of my client,” Dickey said.

Weeks said his office has already advised the New York City police department and the Manhattan district attorney’s office of its intention to support Mangione’s extradition to New York as soon as possible.

“We already indicated to them that we believe their charges take precedence,” Weeks said. “And we’ll do what we can to accommodate their prosecution first.”

In the meantime, the charges filed by Altoona police in Blair County will remain active, with Mangione’s preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 23.

The visiting press waits in front of the Blair County Courthouse as Luigi Mangione's fugitive from justice hearing proceeds on Tuesday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Dickey also asked Consiglio on Tuesday to consider setting bail for his client. During an arraignment Monday night, Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones declined to set bail based on Mangione’s forthcoming homicide warrant and for community safety.

Dickey told Consiglio that he believed his client shouldn’t be denied bail. He said Mangione has no prior criminal history and could be considered for supervised bail with electronic monitoring.

Weeks pointed out that one of the reasons why Jones denied bail reflected Mangione’s inability to state where he lives and to speak of having resided in Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

“Before Judge Jones, he said he was transient and bouncing around from place to place, then offered a location in Hawaii,” Weeks told Consiglio.

Weeks also said that when Altoona police arrested Mangione at the McDonald’s on Monday, Mangione’s possessions include a passport and $8,000 in U.S. cash and $2,000 in foreign currency. Court records show he also had a fake New Jersey ID, a 3D-printed ghost gun and silencer, along with ammo. New York police have said that the gun is consistent with the one used in Thompson’s killing.

Courtesy photo Luigi Mangione is seen at the Altoona Police Department after his arrest on Monday.

In response to Dickey’s request, Consiglio denied the request to set bail.

During the court hearing, Mangione, wearing orange prison clothing with his wrists shackled, conversed with Dickey and tried only once to speak in court. That prompted the defense attorney to tell Mangione: “Don’t say a word.”

Dickey said later that his client has a right to remain silent and to depend upon his attorney to do the talking. Dickey declined to say if Mangione’s family hired him, but confirmed that he is handling the case as a private attorney.

Prior to the court hearing starting, Mangione had shouted toward reporters and photographers in the alley behind the courthouse to await Mangione’s arrival. Video of that scene showed Mangione shouting: “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the American people and their lived experiences,” as sheriff deputies pushed him toward and inside the building.

National and metropolitan news outlets have been reporting that Mangione, in handwritten documents, has expressed “disdain for corporate America” and frustration with the U.S. health care system.

A review of his online postings indicate that he had surgery for a back injury and suffers from brain fog, Lyme disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.