The suspect in the high-profile killing of a top health insurance executive that has gripped the United States graduated from an Ivy League university, reportedly hails from a wealthy family, and wrote social media posts brimming with cerebral musings.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested and charged on Tuesday in the targeted killing, along with other violations.
The father of two was shot dead in broad daylight in Manhattan in a case that laid bare deep frustration and anger with the US’ privatised medical system.
Police have not confirmed reports the words “delay” and “deny” — language used by insurers to reject claims — were written on casings found at the scene, hinting at a possible political motive for the crime. Source: Supplied / NYPD
Mangione was charged in New York on suspicion of one count of murder, 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 possession of a weapon, according to online court documents seen by AFP.
Investigators continued to interrogate Mangione in connection with last week’s brazen murder, which triggered a nationwide manhunt and global headlines.
News of his capture in Pennsylvania — following a tip from a McDonald’s worker — triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly gaining new followers on social media as people and US media tried to understand who he is.
A photo on one of his social media accounts includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. No explicit political affiliation has emerged.
Meanwhile, memes and jokes spread, with many focusing on his first name and making comparisons to the “Mario Bros.” character Luigi, sometimes depicted in AI-altered images wielding a gun or holding a Big Mac.
“Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you,” wrote one user on Facebook. “I want to donate to your defence fund,” wrote another.
According to Mangione’s LinkedIn profile, he is employed as a data engineer at TrueCar, a California-based online auto marketplace.
A company spokesperson told Agence France-Presse Mangione “has not been an employee of our company since 2023”.
Brian Thompson was shot dead as he prepared to address investors, with the gunman firing several times before using a rented bike to flee in the direction of Central Park, police said. Source: AFP / UnitedHealth Group
Although he had been living in Hawaii ahead of the killing, he originally hails from Maryland, near Baltimore. He comes from a prominent and wealthy Italian-American family, according to the news website Baltimore Banner.
The family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, its website says.
‘Normal guy, nice kid’
A standout student, Mangione graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. In an interview with his local paper at the time, he praised his teachers for fostering a passion for learning beyond grades and encouraging intellectual curiosity.
A former student who knew Mangione at the Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as “a normal guy, nice kid”.
“There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception,” this person said, asking that their name not be used.
“[He] seemed to just be smiling, and kind of seemed like he was a smart kid. Ended up being valedictorian, which confirmed that,” the former student said.
Mangione went on to attend the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in an attack as he walked to the Hilton hotel in New York. Source: Supplied / AP
While at university, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage, archived on the Wayback Machine.
On Instagram, where his following has skyrocketed from hundreds to tens of thousands, Mangione shared snapshots of his travels in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. He also shared shirtless photos flaunting a six-pack and appeared in celebratory posts with fellow members of the Phi Kappa Psi, the American collegiate social fraternity.
However, it is on X (formerly Twitter) that users have sifted through Mangione’s posts for possible motives. His header photo, an X-ray of a spine with bolts, remains enigmatic, with no public explanation.
According to a New York Times report citing friends of Mangione, the suspect lived with serious back pain and underwent surgery for the condition last year.
Finding a clear political ideology has been difficult, though he did write a review of Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto — popularly known as the Unabomber manifesto — on the user-generated book review site Goodreads, describing it as “prescient”.
Kaczynski carried out a string of bombings in the US from 1978 to 1995, a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advances of modern society and technology.
Mangione called Kaczynski “rightfully imprisoned” while also saying, “‘Violence never solved anything’ is a statement uttered by cowards and predators”.
According to CNN, handwritten documents recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase “these parasites had it coming”.
Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticising secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity’s decline.
In April, he wrote: “Horror vacui (nature abhors a vacuum)”. The following month, he posted an essay he wrote in high school titled How Christianity Prospered by Appealing to the Lower Classes of Ancient Rome.
In another post from April, he speculated that Japan’s low birthrate stems from societal disconnection, saying “fleshlights” and other vaginal-replica sex toys should be banned.
‘Deny’, ‘defend’ and ‘depose’
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to have been waiting for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.
Police said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.
The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were carved into shell casings found at the scene, several news outlets have reported. The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.
Thompson’s murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs, or paid more for premiums and medical care — all trends that are rising, according to recent data.
Thompson had been CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit since April 2021, part of a 20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to attend the company’s annual investor conference.
“Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth said.
