Luigi Mangione’s December 2024 arrest sparked plenty of questions — who he is, why he allegedly targeted UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and what happens next.
Investigators say the 26-year-old acted alone, but his manifesto and online activity suggest deep resentment toward corporate America, especially the healthcare industry. From his privileged upbringing and Ivy League degrees to his struggles with chronic pain and isolation, his story is a complex one.
Now, with both state and federal charges against him — including one that could carry the death penalty— his case is just getting started. And for the first time since his arrest, he’s speaking out. We’ve got more on that below.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
Mangione came from a wealthy family in Baltimore, Maryland, whose businesses ranged from country clubs and nursing homes to a radio station.
When investigators initially reached out to Mangione’s mother after the first photos of the suspect were made public, she said she wasn’t certain it was him but told them that the shooting “might be something that she could see him doing.” Shortly after his initial charges, GOP lawmaker Nino Mangione, who’s believed to be his cousin, released a statement, saying they are “shocked and devastated.”
According to one of his former classmates, Freddie Leatherbury, the 26-year-old “had everything going for him.” He graduated valedictorian from an all-boys prep school that costs a whopping $40,000 a year, and a school spokesman called the revelation “deeply distressing.”
Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering. According to his LinkedIn page, he worked as a data engineer at the car-buying website TrueCar for several years.
What was Luigi Mangione’s motive for allegedly killing Brian Thompson?
In 2023, things appeared to take a turn: Mangione was laid off (a TrueCar spokesperson told CBS News that Mangione is no longer an employee.) Those close to him said he was dealing with debilitating back pain at the time that required surgery.
Though he had ties to the tech industry in San Francisco, the NYPD’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, told The New York Times that Mangione lived in Honolulu until recently. In an interview with CNN, his former roommate R.J. Martin said he was “hoping to get stronger in Hawaii.” Still, he faced some setbacks: He was charged with a petty misdemeanor after entering a private area in Nuuanu Pali Lookout. He also became bedridden at one point after an introductory surfing lesson.
Mangione acknowledged these struggles himself; his banner on X shows a post-surgery X-ray of his back, and he shared a book he read about chronic pain, Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery. After his procedure, he traveled to Japan in the spring of this year but doesn’t appear to have been in contact with his family. According to the New York Post, his mother reported him missing on Nov. 18.
It’s worth noting that he went radio silent on social media for nine months until this past January. On his Goodreads page, Mangione liked several quotes from the unabomber Ted Kaczynski, who terrorized the U.S. for nearly 20 years before his arrest in 1996, and called him an “extreme political revolutionary.”
But his views might be more complicated. For instance, he reposted a video on his X account of right-wing venture capitalist Peter Thiel introducing J.D. Vance to Donald Trump in 2021. Then, earlier this year, he also shared a post of a user praising Elon Musk for his “commitment to long-term civilization success,” pointing to “a battle to the death with the anti-civilizational woke mind virus.”
Law enforcement also found the suspect’s notebook, which laid out chilling plans to kill the CEO. “What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention,” he wrote. “It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents.”
What did Luigi Mangione’s manifesto say?
Once suspect Mangione was caught and charged, many wondered what may have led him to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the first place. One crucial piece of evidence is a handwritten manifesto which officials say points to “an ill-will towards corporate America.”
The three-page document reportedly calls out corporations that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.” It also includes lines like, “Frankly, these parasites had it coming” and, “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”
Speaking specifically about UnitedHealthcare, Mangione reportedly condemned the company’s “power games” and “alleged corruption.” But he also appeared to send a message about the U.S. healthcare system as a whole: Bullet casings found on the murder scene were inscribed with “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” These are standard terms lawyers use to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
UnitedHealthcare insured neither Mangione nor anyone in his family, police have said. According to The New York Times, an internal police analysis of the manifesto states that he likely saw the killing of the high-ranking executive as a “symbolic takedown” and “views himself as a hero of sorts who has finally decided to act upon such injustices.” Police worry that the grim attack could inspire more targeted violence, noting how some people online celebrated the murder and saw the suspect as some kind of “martyr.”
What do we know about his arrest?
Police arrested Luigi Mangione on Dec. 9 after an employee spotted him eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. At the time, a $60,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture. However, the tipster may not receive the money immediately — if at all — since the FBI requires a successful conviction before issuing the payout.
Mangione was then taken in for questioning regarding the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. When asked if he had recently been in New York, he became “quiet and started to shake.” Police also found him carrying a ghost gun — an untraceable homemade firearm — that matched the description of the weapon used in Thompson’s killing.
At the state level, he faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm — all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. But that’s not all — federal prosecutors have also charged him with murder through the use of a firearm, using a firearm silencer during a violent crime, and two counts of interstate stalking for allegedly surveilling the CEO. If prosecutors pursue it, the federal murder charge could make him eligible for the death penalty. Otherwise, he’s looking at life in prison if convicted.
Authorities credited “a combination of old-school detective work and new-age technology” for tracking Mangione. “We should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and ears,” said Tisch. “Now, the case will proceed through the criminal justice system.”
Luigi Mangione statement
Mangione, who’s being held in a Brooklyn jail, broke his silence on Feb. 14, releasing his first public statement since his Dec. 9 arrest to thank supporters. In the wake of the murder, he’s gained backing from people across the country frustrated with the American healthcare system.
“I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written to share their stories and express their support,” he said in a post on a website created by his lawyers, adding that he has received letters from around the world. “While I can’t respond to most, please know that I read every one. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write.”
Beyond the letters, the 26-year-old has received nearly $300,000 in crowdfunded donations to support his legal defense. “Luigi is aware of the fund and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support,” his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilosaid said on Mangione’s fundraising page.
