Luigi Mangione charged with murder of healthcare CEO

Man Charged With Murdering NY Healthcare CEO

View: Luigi Mangione reaches the courthouse in Pennsylvania.

A 26-year-old man has been accused of murder in connection with the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson that occurred in New York City last week.

Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, roughly 280 miles (450 kilometers) west of New York City, on Monday after a diner at the restaurant identified him.

An Ivy League alumnus from a well-known family in Maryland was discovered with a 3D-printed firearm and a handwritten note that suggested his "motivation and mindset," as reported by authorities.

Mr. Mangione subsequently appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom to face five initial charges and was denied the opportunity for bail.

Only a few hours later, investigators in New York accused Mr. Mangione of murder along with four additional charges related to firearms.

Mr. Thompson, aged 50, was tragically shot in the back last Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. This incident occurred while UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance company he headed, was conducting an investors' meeting at the venue.

Authorities have stated that he was the intended victim of a deliberate murder scheme.

Check out: BBC at McDonald's, where Luigi Mangione was taken into custody.

Mr. Mangione is currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania, facing official charges for having an unregistered gun, committing forgery, and giving the police fake identification.

He was shackled at both his wrists and ankles when he showed up in court earlier on Monday.

Dressed in jeans and a navy sweater, Mr. Mangione appeared relaxed throughout the hearing, occasionally glancing at the audience, including members of the press.

The shooting incident from last week sparked a massive search effort, with investigators in New York City utilizing one of the biggest digital surveillance networks in the world. They also deployed police dogs, drones, and divers to search a lake in Central Park for the suspect.

Investigators disclosed that discovering Mr. Mangione came as a total shock, since his name wasn’t on their list of suspects prior to that Monday.

In the end, it was a McDonald's patron in Altoona who identified the suspect after seeing news reports. They informed a staff member, who subsequently notified the authorities.

When the police got there, Mr. Mangione presented a phony New Jersey driver's license under the name Mark Rosario, according to court documents.

According to the criminal complaint, he "grew silent and began to tremble" when a police officer inquired whether he had traveled to New York lately.

The court documents state that when he was warned he could be arrested for providing a false name, he revealed his true identity.

When questioned about why he wasn't truthful, he admitted to the officers, "I definitely shouldn’t have."

A check of his backpack revealed a 3D-printed handgun, a 3D-printed suppressor, and a loaded magazine containing six 9mm bullets.

Prosecutors stated that he had a US passport and $10,000 in cash with him, including $2,000 in foreign currency. However, Mr. Mangione challenged this amount during the court proceedings.

Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside a hotel in Manhattan.

Officials stated that a three-page handwritten note discovered in his belongings indicated he held negative sentiments toward corporate America.

Authorities report that the terms "deny," "defend," and "depose" were inscribed on the shell casings discovered at the site of Mr. Thompson's killing.

Authorities think this might refer to what opponents label the "three Ds of insurance," which are strategies employed by insurers to deny payment claims from patients in the complex U.S. healthcare system.

Earlier, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the gun and suppressor taken from the suspect were "both similar to the weapon used to kill Mr. Thompson."

Watch: Pennsylvania governor states that the suspect in the New York shooting is 'not a hero'.

Mr. Mangione will soon have the choice to either give up his right to fight extradition to New York or to challenge the extradition itself.

If he decides to give it up, he will be handed over to the New York authorities right away. However, if he chooses to fight it, the proceedings might take around 30 to 45 days.

Mr. Mangione's family expressed that they were "stunned and heartbroken" by his arrest.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to Brian Thompson's family and request that everyone keep all those affected in their thoughts and prayers," stated a message shared on social media late Monday by the defendant's cousin, Nino Mangione, who serves as a Maryland state legislator.

During his teenage years, Mr. Mangione went to a private all-boys school in Maryland, where he earned the title of class valedictorian, typically given to the student with the highest academic performance.

He completed his degree at the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League institution.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he was employed as a data engineer in California. TrueCar, a platform for car buyers, has verified that he worked there but departed in 2023.

The most recent address on record for Mr. Mangione was in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Multiple messages on an account on X, previously known as Twitter, which seemed to be associated with Mr. Mangione, indicated that friends were attempting to contact him. One individual shared in October, expressing concern that "no one has heard from you in months."