The top story this week is the arrest on Monday of Luigi Mangione, 26, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4. Multiple news outlets, including ABC, BBC and CBS, have reported on the investigation, noting that Mangione’s fingerprints matched prints found near the crime scene, that the gun Mangione was carrying when arrested matched shell casings from the crime scene, and that handwritten pages he possessed appear to claim responsibility for the shooting. Read on for more criminal law news.
Zoom-Zoom Coming Thru. A 35-year-old man is facing charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment after driving through a car dealership in Sandy, Utah. According to this story from ABC4, Michael Lee Murray bought a vehicle from a Mazda dealership on Monday and called back later that day to return the vehicle. Advised that the sale was final, Murray reportedly said he would drive through the front door if the dealership would not accept the return. Murray returned to the dealership around 4 p.m. and did precisely that. Several people standing near the door had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. The cost of the damage was estimated to be about $10,000.
Rumors of My Demise. Ryan Borgwardt, 45, of Wisconsin was booked into the Green Lake County Jail on Tuesday, as reported by the AP, and now faces charges of obstructing the investigation into his own disappearance. In August, Borgwardt left his wife and three children and traveled from his home in Watertown to Green Lake, where he overturned his kayak, dumped his phone, and paddled to shore in an inflatable boat. Borgwardt made his way by bike, bus, and plane to Eastern Europe. He began communicating with authorities in November, after the search for his body lasted more than a month at a cost of at least $35,000. Borgwardt said he faked his own death because of “personal matters,” and he did not expect the search to last more than two weeks.
Felony Flag-Planting Proposed. A bill pending before the Ohio legislature would make it a felony for anyone to plant a flag in the center of the football field at Ohio State University on a game day, according to this story from ESPN. The proposed legislation comes in response to a brawl between teams occasioned by Michigan’s attempt to plant its flag after a November 30 win at Ohio State. The bill’s sponsor, state Representative Josh Williams, represents the 41st district, near Toledo. (Displaying flags has sometimes been characterized as protected speech.) Williams, who has a law degree from the University of Toledo, described the legislation as necessary to send a signal to institutions of higher learning that they need to come up with policies to prevent this in the future.
Why Chase Ambulances? Attorneys in New Orleans are accused of staging vehicle crashes and submitting fraudulent insurance claims, per this story from the AP. The decade-long scheme, allegedly begun in 2011, involved people crashing vehicles into 18-wheelers and staging witnesses on site who claimed the accident was the commercial vehicle’s fault. An indictment unsealed Monday alleges 22 collisions, charging two law firms and eight people with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. In addition, Ryan J. Harris, 36, of New Orleans has been charged with witness tampering, retaliation against a witness, and causing death with a firearm based on allegations that he killed Cornelius Garrison, allegedly a driver in the scheme and later a cooperating witness.
Trail Camera Captures Crook. A man who broke into a home in Henderson County, North Carolina, and stole a cellular trail camera has been identified and arrested after he inadvertently took a selfie with the stolen camera. According to this story from WLOS, Mark Ervin Crook has been charged with felony breaking and entering and felony larceny. The sheriff’s office shared the suspect’s image on Facebook and received numerous tips from the public, leading to Crook’s arrest.
Down the Chimbley. Robert Langlais, 33, of Massachusetts is in custody after attempting to escape a police pursuit by jumping down a chimney. As reported by People, detectives were executing a search warrant at a residence in the city of Fall River when two men fled across the rooftop. Langlais tried to hide in a chimney and got stuck, requiring the assistance of the Fire Department and EMS to extract him. He was arrested for possession of drugs and other charges on outstanding warrants. The other suspect dashed away, dashed away, dashed away all, and eluded capture.
NC Criminal Debrief. Episode 15 of this popular SOG podcast is now available. In this episode, Phil Dixon discusses the new crime of sexual extortion, amendments to our statutes criminalizing exploitation and disclosure of private images, a cannabis update, geofencing warrants, and more.
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