Blair County DA: Apprehension of suspect in shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO brings unprecedented attention

Jacob Geanous, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 11, 2024

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ALTOONA, Pa. — First thing Monday morning, the call came in from a police officer on scene at a local McDonald's where a suspect in a multistate manhunt had been arrested.

Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks and his office were quickly thrust into the national spotlight with the capture of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man now accused of shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare dead last week in Manhattan.

The media circus that mobbed the Altoona Police Department and the Blair County Courthouse following Mr. Mangione's arrest isn't exactly business as usual, but Mr. Weeks remains solely focused on the job.

"I think anytime there's a lot of media attention, you have to be careful not to get sucked in," the district attorney said in an interview Tuesday with the Post-Gazette. "The media certainly has an important role and a job to do, but we have to remember that as law enforcement and prosecutors, we have a job to do. And we have to focus on doing that job the right way."

Mr. Weeks, who has been calmly taking questions at crowded press conferences this week, has reiterated his intent to prosecute the case against Mr. Mangione in Blair County once the homicide case is done in New York.

He sees the suspect's capture and the collaboration between numerous law enforcement departments as evidence that — whether in his county or elsewhere — a person cannot outrun justice.

"I think this investigation is an example that it doesn't matter if you commit a crime in Blair County or New York City or Pittsburgh, or wherever," he said. "This is an example of law enforcement from a bunch of different jurisdictions working together to make sure we achieve justice."

Mr. Weeks has been working as a prosecutor in Blair County since 2007. In April 2020, he assumed the role of district attorney after the retirement of longtime District Attorney Rich Consiglio. Mr. Weeks was elected to the position in January 2022.

In his time prosecuting cases for the county, Mr. Weeks said he has seen his fair share of high-profile cases, including murders, although the apprehension of an alleged killer and subject of a nationwide manhunt at a local fast-food restaurant was unanticipated.

"We've dealt with a lot of surprises and cases you might not expect in Blair County, even though we're not a large county," he said. "But we received, as is common, a call from one of the officers on scene, advising us of the situation [with Mr. Mangione.] ... And it certainly wasn't expected, I'll say that."

News of the arrest, which exploded on social media, followed days of internet speculation over the identity and whereabouts of the man caught on video gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has also brought unprecedented attention to the county.

"We've had some very high profile cases, but those cases occurred within the jurisdiction of Blair County," Mr. Weeks said. "I think because this occurred in New York City, one of the largest cities in our country, certainly it's getting more media attention than some of the cases we've done that were higher profile."

This particular investigation is one of the larger multi-agency law enforcement efforts that have occurred in the county, although perhaps not the largest ever.

"This office has been involved in numerous other cases with this level of participation, but this is the first time that so many people from another jurisdiction have come down," he said.

Mr. Weeks said the only time he could recall a larger law enforcement showing was after a corrections officer was killed during a hostage situation involving an inmate at Altoona's Central Court in 2021.

"The police presence and investigative efforts in that case exceeded even the presence of police you saw [Monday]," he said.

Moving forward with the case against Mr. Mangione, Mr. Weeks said his office remains committed to prosecuting this case and all the others coming across their desks, although he would argue that he needs more staff to spread the load.

"Our office right now is about 50% staffed in terms of attorneys," he said. "We have one of the highest case loads out of any fourth or fifth-class county in the state, so we have a lot to focus on to keep us busy."