Luigi Mangione accused of the murder of the general director of the health sector

A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in New York City.

Luigi Mangione was detained Monday at a McDonald’s in the town of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles (450 kilometers) west of New York City, after a customer at the fast-food establishment recognized him.

An Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, he was found in possession of a gun and a handwritten document indicating “motivation and mindset,” according to police.

Mangione then appeared in a Pennsylvania court to be arraigned on five initial charges and was denied bail.

Just hours later, New York investigators charged Mangione with murder and four other charges, including firearms charges.

Thompson, 50, was shot to death in the back last Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance giant he ran, was holding an investor meeting.

Police say he was the target of a pre-planned murder.

Mangione is incarcerated in Pennsylvania, where he was indicted on charges of possessing a firearm without a license, forgery and providing false identification to police.

He was handcuffed at the wrists and ankles when he appeared in court Monday morning.

Dressed in jeans and a dark blue T-shirt, Mangione appeared calm during the hearing, occasionally glancing at those present, including the media.

Last week’s shooting sparked a massive manhunt, in which New York City investigators used one of the world’s largest digital surveillance systems, as well as police dogs, drones and divers in a Central Park lake to search to the attacker.

Investigators revealed that finding Mangione was a complete surprise, as they did not have his name on the list of suspects before Monday.

Ultimately, it was a McDonald’s customer in Altoona who recognized the suspect from media coverage and alerted an employee, who then notified police.

When police arrived, Mangione showed them a fake New Jersey driver’s license under the name Mark Rosario, according to court documents.

“He became quiet and began to shake” when an officer asked him if he had been to New York recently, the criminal complaint adds.

When he was told he would be arrested if he lied about his name, he gave his real name, according to court documents.

When asked why he lied, he told officers he “clearly shouldn’t have done it.”

A search of his backpack uncovered what police called a “ghost gun,” which may have been 3D printed, and a magazine loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Prosecutors said he was also carrying a U.S. passport and $10,000 in cash, $2,000 of it in foreign currency, although Mangione disputed the amount in court.

A three-page handwritten document found in his possession suggested he harbored “ill will toward American companies,” officials said.

Investigators say the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson’s murder.

Officials believe this could be a reference to what critics call the “three Ds of insurance”: tactics used by insurance companies to deny patients’ claims for payment in the complicated U.S. healthcare system.

Hours earlier, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gun and silencer confiscated by investigators from the suspect were “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder” of Mr. Thompson.

Mangione is now expected to be presented with the option of waiving his extradition to New York state or contesting it.

If he resigns, he will be immediately placed at the disposal of the New York authorities. If you dispute it, the process could take 30 to 45 days.

Mangione’s family said they were “shocked and devastated” by his arrest.

“We offer our prayers to Brian Thompson’s family and ask people to pray for everyone involved,” read their statement, posted on social media Monday night by the defendant’s cousin, Maryland state lawmaker, Nino Mangione.

As a teenager, Mangione attended a private all-boys school in Maryland, where he was valedictorian of his class, a title usually awarded to students with the best grades.

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university.

His LinkedIn account says he worked as a data engineer in California. TrueCar, a website for car buyers, confirmed that he had worked there but left in 2023.

Mr. Mangione’s last known address was Honolulu, Hawaii.

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