The individual apprehended in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is a 26-year-old tech expert and Ivy League graduate with anti-capitalist views, according to law enforcement sources. Luigi Mangione, originally from Towson, Maryland, reportedly harbored resentment towards the medical community due to the treatment of a sick relative and possibly his own experiences with the industry.
Mangione, who comes from a prominent Maryland family, was taken into custody in connection with Thompson’s shooting death. His online activity revealed a fascination with Ted Kaczynski, the infamous “Unabomber,” and a disdain for the medical industry. His GoodReads account showed a reading list filled with books about chronic back pain, including titles like “Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery,” and “Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease―and How to Fight It.”
Those who knew Mangione in high school were shocked to learn of his possible involvement in the crime. A former classmate described him as always doing the right thing and never appearing socially awkward. Mangione was a valedictorian and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He was also a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity during his time at Penn.
Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, ending an intense manhunt triggered by Thompson’s murder outside a Manhattan hotel. When arrested, he was found with a ghost gun, a silencer, a US passport, four fake IDs, and a manifesto that echoed the anti-establishment sentiments of Kaczynski.
The manifesto, spanning two and a half handwritten pages, suggested that Mangione acted alone. It also included a review of the Unabomber’s manifesto, in which Mangione described Kaczynski as a violent individual who maimed innocent people but also as an extreme political revolutionary.
Mangione’s LinkedIn profile shows that he once worked in an assisted-living facility for the elderly, owned by his family. He is also a cousin of Republican Baltimore County Delegate Nino Mangione. His online activity revealed his subscription to anti-capitalist and climate-change causes.
Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Computer and Information Science in 2020. He also completed a Master of Science in Engineering, Computer and Information Science at the same institution. His LinkedIn profile suggests he is a data engineer at a California-based car company, although he lists his current home as Honolulu, Hawaii.