NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Suspect Identified in UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing, Jury Acquits Former Marine Daniel Penny in Subway Chokehold Case, and Cuomo Aide Drops Lawsuit

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Officials have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as the person of interest in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on firearm charges as police work to bring him back to New York. Meanwhile, a Manhattan jury acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny of all charges in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely. Finally, a former aide to Andrew Cuomo has dropped her sexual harassment lawsuit as the former governor considers running for New York City mayor.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Tuesday, December 10th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, as you heard NPR say there, has been charged with killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in Midtown, Manhattan. He was arrested yesterday in Pennsylvania, about 200 miles west of Manhattan, N.YPD chief of detectives, Joseph Kenney says, they're working with officers in Pennsylvania to bring Mangione back to New York.

We're going to have to work that out with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He's going to be facing gun charges there. And at some point, we'll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Authorities said Mangioni carried a written manifesto detailing his alleged motives and what officials described as, quote, ill will toward corporate America. America. Former Marine Daniel Penny has been acquitted of choking and killing Jordan Neely on an Uptown F-train last year. Attorney Dante Mills represents the Neely family. He's encouraging those upset by the verdict to help the people around them. If you're angry, if you're hurt, go help one person. That's how we beat the system. That's how we turn this around by being there for each other. The jury focused on whether Penny caused Jordan Neely's death by holding

him in a chokehold for as long as he did, about six minutes, and whether his actions were justified. On one-time eight, the former governor, Andrew Cuomo, has dropped a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment. WNIC's John Campbell reports the move comes as Cuomo weighs a run for New York City mayor. Charlotte Bennett had said Cuomo asked her about her sex life and whether she was interested in older men. She sued Cuomo two years ago. She released a statement on Monday saying the governor's aggressive legal defense tactics were intended to, quote, humiliate her. That includes evidence requests for gynecological records. Cuomo's attorneys say Bennett's move represents a complete capitulation and a, quote,

desperate attempt to avoid testifying under oath. The former aide says she'll continue a similar lawsuit against the state of New York, her former employer. Cuomo, meanwhile, continues to face lawsuits from two other accusers. He denies the claims. 46 with clouds and fog out there now. We have a chance of afternoon showers, some patchy fog, a high near 51 today. And then tonight rain and fog once again, temperature falls to the upper 40s, then rises overnight to the mid-50s. Tomorrow, rain. The rain could be heavy at times and a lot of it. A high near 62 and winds is strong as 45 miles an hour.

Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us Every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this afternoon.