Ex-husband charged in double murder waives extradition to Ohio

(NEW YORK) — A year to the day after Luigi Mangione allegedly stalked and gunned down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, the 27-year-old alleged killer was identified in court by one of the police officers who first encountered him in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following the shooting.

“He’s the gentleman right there sitting between the female and the male.  Looks like he’s wearing a suit,” patrolman Tyler Frye said, pointing with his left hand.

Mangione’s lawyers are attempting to convince the judge overseeing his case to prohibit prosecutors from using critical evidence, including the alleged murder weapon and Mangione’s journal. They argue the evidence was unlawfully seized from his backpack without a warrant during his arrest. 

Mangione — in court for the third day of a pretrial hearing in his state murder case — flipped a pen in his right hand and then began writing on a white lined legal pad, largely ignoring body camera footage of his arrest that played on screens around the courtroom.

Frye, 26, was still a probationary officer, on the job less than a year, when he responded to a McDonalds on E. Plank Road after the dispatcher told them a manager had called 911 to report someone who looked like the person wanted in the shooting. 

On the body camera footage played in court, someone is heard directing the officers, “He’s back there.”

Frye is seen in the footage standing a few feet from Mangione while Mangione nibbled a hash brown as the officers stalled for time by engaging in small talk about the Steak McMuffin. 

Another officer is heard asking Mangione, “Do you know what all this nonsense is about?” Mangione is heard replying, “We’re going to find out I guess.”

Mangione gave the officers a fake New Jersey ID for a Mark Rosario. 

Officers subsequently informed Mangione he was under “official police investigation” and asked him his real name. Frye, on the video, is seen writing the name “Luigi Mangione” in a small notebook and providing his date of birth. At that point, Mangione is read is Miranda rights.

Defense attorneys are trying to exclude statements Mangione made and the contents of his backpack, including a 3D-printed gun and a red notebook. 

“Where were you standing in relation to the backpack?” prosecutor Joel Seidemann asked.  “Right near it,” Frye replied.

“Were you aware of that backpack?” Seidemann asked. “I was,” Frye said.

“When did you become aware of it?” asked Seidemann.

“About the time I walked in,” Frye replied.

The hearing has the potential to sideline what prosecutors say is some of the strongest evidence of Mangione’s guilt, and has provided the most detailed preview to date of their case against the alleged killer.

The proceedings could last into next week.

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(NEW YORK) — The woman charged with abandoning her newborn at a Midtown Manhattan subway station told investigators she gave birth just hours before she left the baby at the bottom of a staircase, according to court documents.

The baby girl was found wrapped in a blanket at the southbound 1 train platform at 34th Street-Penn Station during the Monday morning rush hour, the New York Police Department said. The umbilical cord was still attached, indicating she had likely been born within a few hours, according to the criminal complaint.

The baby was taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said, with New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow calling it “the miracle on 34th Street.”

Police said the mother, 30-year-old Assa Diawara, was caught on surveillance footage carrying a bundle in her arms through the turnstiles at the subway station. More footage showed her leaving the station empty-handed, the complaint said.

Diawara allegedly admitted she was the woman in the videos and said she gave birth late Sunday night into early Monday morning, the complaint said.

Diawara was taken into custody early Wednesday on charges of abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.

Detectives identified her by following a trail of surveillance camera footage, an NYPD official said. Video showed Diawara taking a car service to Jamaica, Queens, and then investigators canvassed the area where she was dropped off and found a neighbor who recognized her from the surveillance footage, the official said.

Diawara has made her first court appearance and was granted supervised release. She is due to return to court in December.

New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act permits a parent to leave a newborn in a safe place — like a hospital, police station or fire station — up to 30 days after the baby’s birth. The parent would not be prosecuted and can remain anonymous as long as the baby is left in a safe place and the appropriate person is notified.

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(CADILLAC, Mich.) — Two family members have been charged in connection to the death of a pregnant woman in Michigan after authorities allege she was lured to a home and tortured “in an attempt to remove the unborn infant,” according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and Bradly Bartholomew, 47 — both from Boon, Michigan — were arraigned on Tuesday in the 84th District Court in Cadillac on multiple felony charges related to the murder of Rebecca Park, 22, of Manton, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Officials allege that on Nov. 3, the couple lured Park — Cortney Bartholomew’s biological daughter who was approximately 38 weeks pregnant at the time — to their Wexford County home in upstate Michigan.

“The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both,” according to the statement from the attorney general’s office. “After an extensive search, Park’s remains were found in the Manistee National Forest on November 25.”

“Rebecca had everything to live for, and our hearts are with her loved ones as they endure this unthinkable loss,” Nessel said. “We are committed to working alongside the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is pursued in this tragic case without delay.”

Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew have each been charged by the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with first-degree murder, felony murder, torture and a series of other charges that could land each of them a potential life sentence.

“This case involves a truly horrific homicide in which a young woman and her unborn child endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of the Defendants,” said Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey. “The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling. While these remain allegations until proven in court, the evidence reflects an extraordinary level of callousness and violence. We look forward to presenting the full facts in court.”

The Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution of this case with the assistance of the Department of Attorney General, authorities said.

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