Luigi Mangione, 26, was ‘well-educated popular kid’ at $40k-a-yr boys school before ‘insane’ CEO murder, classmate says
THE suspect in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO was a well-educated, popular student-athlete who finished at the top of his high school class, a former classmate told The U.S. Sun.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles west of the Hilton hotel in Midtown where healthcare exec Brian Thompson was gunned down on December 4.
He was arrested without incident but has so far refused to speak with investigators, cops said.
The suspect was born and raised in and was valedictorian of his 2016 high school graduating class at the Gilman School in Baltimore.
One former student from the Gilman School, a private $40,000-a-year all-boys school, remembered Mangione as a "popular" student with a "big circle of friends."
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"We went to the same school but didn't really have the same friends. I'm really shocked by this whole thing," the former student, who asked not to be identified, told The U.S. Sun.
What we know...
- A "strong person of interest" was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a ghost gun, silencer, and the same fake ID used by the killer at a NYC hostel.
- He had a handwritten manifesto on him that slammed healthcare companies for putting profits above care, the New York Times reported.
- The arrest comes after police found the assassin's backpack at Central Park and discovered Monopoly money inside.
- Photos showed the suspected killer smiling as he pulled down his face mask to flirt with a hostel receptionist.
- An expert said the killer’s gun malfunction may have been ‘for show’ and linked to a secret message on bullets.
- The shooter milled around the entrance for minutes before sneaking up behind the CEO and unloading a barrage of bullets into his back and leg, eerie surveillance revealed.
"I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure."
The classmate said he did not remember Mangione as a "weird shut-in, incel type" of guy.
'STRONG PERSON OF INTEREST'
Investigators received a tip from an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona who told police Luigi Mangione resembled the man in wanted posters shared across the country after the CEO's murder.
The gun found on Mangione was described as a 9mm ghost gun with the same firing capability as the one used in the assassination, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
It's believed he may have made the gun using a 3-D printer.
Tisch said the note spoke "to both [Mangione's] motivation and mindset."
The first two quotes in the document read, "These parasites had it coming," according to .
Mangione alleged added, "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Mangione, who has not been formally charged with Thompson's killing, a "strong person of interest."
He most recently lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has ties to . He has no criminal record in New York.
"We didn't know his name until today. Our investigation is leaning towards that he was acting alone," the chief of detectives added.
Commissioner Tisch also said Mangione had on clothing that matched the gunman's.
A spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare praised law enforcement for the arrest.
"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," the healthcare provider said in a statement to The New York Times.
"We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family's privacy as they mourn."
CHILLING ASSASSINATION
Thompson was fatally shot in cold blood at around 6:45 am on December 4 as he arrived for an investor conference at the Hilton hotel.
Shocking surveillance footage captured the moment a masked and hooded gunman snuck up behind the UnitedHealthcare executive, 50, and unloaded several shots.
Thompson died after being shot multiple times in the back and leg, New York Police said.
The hooded assassin, believed to be Mangione, calmly walked away from the scene, hopped on an e-bike, and pedaled Uptown before zooming into Central Park.
Video captured the man exiting Central Park around 77th Street, still on the bicycle, police said.
Investigators believe the suspect ditched the bike and walked to 86th Street before jumping into a taxi.
The accused killer then exited at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, near 178th Street and Broadway, where it is believed he boarded a bus out of New York City.
PUZZLING INVESTIGATION
Outside the Hilton hotel, investigators uncovered three spent shell casings with the words "deny," "depose," and "defend" written on them.
The message is similar to a 2010 book written by insurance law expert and Rutgers Law School professor Jay M. Feinman.
Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It is a fiercely critical expose of the insurance industry.
On Saturday, authorities released two new images that showed the suspect in the back of a taxi on the day of the shooting.
The man was pictured wearing a blue surgical mask, a dark hat, and a black hood.
At Central Park, investigators recovered a backpack that is believed to belong to the gunman.
Police believe the man disposed of the backpack as he cycled away from the scene and into the park.
The Peak Design backpack, which was found wedged between two rocks near the Central Park carousel, contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money inside.
'KILLER'S' STEPS
Investigators said the alleged shooter arrived in New York City at the Port Authority terminal on November 24 on a Greyhound bus that originated from .
Police have not determined where the man boarded the bus.
The suspect then took a taxi to the area of the New York Hilton in Midtown and was there for about half an hour.
Later that evening, he checked into the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue, where he stayed until the morning of the shooting.
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"They were having a flirtatious moment, and he pulled it down, and he gives a big smile," NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counter-terrorism John Miller said at the time.
"And that one informal moment between two human beings remains, at this moment, the most significant clue to date to in this whole case."
Timeline of Brian Thompson's murder
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing.
Here is everything we know about Thompson's murder so far.
Monday, December 2 - Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am - Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin.
11:30 am - Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
12:00 pm - Thompson's estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
2:45 pm - Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it's unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, 6 am - Reports claim the words "deny," "dispose," and "defend" were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports.
8 am- Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It's believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there.
11 am - A person of interest in Thompson's murder is pictured. He's wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation.
Afternoon - Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It's also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting.
December 6, 3 pm - Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
December 9 - Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a "strong person of interest" at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson's murder.