Luigi Mangione's fellow inmates: Free him, 'conditions suck'

(NewsNation) — NewsNation's Alex Caprariello and Ashleigh Banfield spoke exclusively with prison inmates who called for UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione to be transferred to Rikers Island in New York City.

The inmates yelled from their cells during a live broadcast of "Banfield," describing the conditions at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania.

"Luigi's conditions suck," inmates shouted to NewsNation's Caprariello. "Free Luigi." They also said Mangione doesn’t have a television in his cell and expressed their desire for him to waive his extradition challenge.

Luigi Mangione in prison

Mangione has a cell to himself and is kept away from other inmates. The prison menu, which inmates shouted was "terrible," includes fruit, grits, scrambled eggs and "porcupine meatballs" for lunch, a dish made from ground beef and rice.

Gene Borrello, a former organized crime associate who spent 13 years behind bars, including four at Rikers, described the conditions at the New York City prison as the "most dangerous in America."

He warns that if Mangione is transferred to Rikers, he will face harsh realities, including substandard food, unsanitary conditions and safety concerns.

"You have to watch your back every day," Borrello said on "Banfield." "There's no structure. It's just complete chaos. ... It's nonstop stabbings and gang violence where the cops are scared to come to work. It's a place you want to avoid."

Luigi Mangione and the UnitedHealthcare shooting

Fingerprints taken from Mangione match those found on a water bottle near the place in New York City where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot last week. The water bottle was in an alleyway Mangione allegedly ran to after the shooting, sources told NewsNation local affiliate WPIX.

Thompson, 50, was killed just before 7 a.m. Dec. 4 near a Midtown Hilton Hotel while he was walking to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor meeting.

NYPD officers searched for the gunman in New York and Georgia. On Dec. 9, police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, responded to reports of a man matching authorities’ description of the suspect at a local McDonalds.

It was there that Mangione was arrested. The NYPD said Mangione matched the description authorities were searching for and that he had with him a mask, firearm, suppressor and fake New Jersey ID that connected him to the shooting.

New reporting shows Mangione also had a manifesto and spiral notebook with a “to-do” list. Mangione allegedly wrote in the manifesto he acted alone and that he “apologizes for any strife or traumas, but it had to be done.”

“Frankly, these parasites had it coming,” the manifesto says.

Luigi Mangione’s extradition hearing

As he was escorted into a Pennsylvania courthouse Tuesday after his arrest, Mangione shouted to reporters gathered outside.

“It’s completely an injustice and an insult to the American people,” he said.

During his extradition hearing Tuesday, Mangione tried to interrupt and talk with his attorney, Thomas Dickey.

The state of Pennsylvania is pursuing a governor’s warrant for 26-year-old Mangione. That process could take 30 days, especially as Mangione is trying to fight it.

NewsNation's Alex Caprariello, Brian Entin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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