Who is Luigi Mangione? Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder

LUIGI Mangione emerged as the primary suspect in the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania five days after the assassination in New York City on December 4, 2024, which sparked a nationwide manhunt.

Who is Luigi Mangione?

Luigi Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, with his last known residence in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He attended the Gilman School,​​ an elite $40,000-a-year Baltimore prep school, graduating as valedictorian in 2016.

One former student from the Gilman School told The U.S. Sun Mangione was "popular" and had a "big circle of friends."

The former student, who asked not to be identified, said: "We went to the same school but didn't really have the same friends. I'm really shocked by this whole thing.

"I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure."

They added: "It's not uncommon that people have their gripes with CEOs, especially with CEOs of healthcare in this country, but to assassinate someone?"

"That sounds very, very insane to me. The world is a crazy a** place."

In 2020, Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Computer, and Information Science, per his LinkedIn profile.

Mangione was actively involved in campus life, reportedly working as a teaching assistant and founding a video game development club.

He also served as a head counselor for a pre-collegiate studies program at Stanford University during the summer of 2019.

The suspect's great-grandfather, Nicholas Mangione, was a first-generation American who built a real estate empire in Maryland and owned the Turf Valley Resort, Hayfields Country Club and the WCBM-AM radio station. He also founded the Lorien Health Services nursing home.

Mangione is the cousin of Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione.

Profession

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mangione was a data engineer at TrueCar, an online platform for buying and selling vehicles.

However, a spokesperson for TrueCar told The U.S. Sun: "While we generally don’t comment on personnel matters, we can confirm that Luigi Mangione has not been an employee of our company since 2023."

We don't think that there's any specific threat to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem he has some ill will toward corporate America

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny

Prior to this role, he interned as a programmer at Fixarixis, a video game company.

Shooting

On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside the Hilton Midtown Hotel in Manhattan, New York.

The attack appeared to be premeditated, with the gunman seemingly waiting for Thompson before shooting him in the chest.

The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen escaping toward Central Park on a bike, sparking a citywide search for the assassin.

Arrest

Following an extensive week-long search, Mangione was apprehended on December 9, 2024, at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

A McDonald's employee called the cops on the suspect, who was "sitting there eating," New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a press conference on Monday, December 9.

Upon his arrest, Mangione was found in possession of several incriminating items:

• A 9mm ghost gun with a silencer, consistent with the weapon used in Thompson's murder
• Multiple counterfeit identification cards, including a fake New Jersey ID matching the one used to check into a Manhattan hostel prior to the shooting
• A three-page handwritten manifesto expressing frustrations with the US healthcare system

Initially charged with firearms offenses in Pennsylvania, Mangione was later charged with murder in New York City.

Possible motives

While the exact motive remains unclear, authorities have noted that Mangione's handwritten document revealed his "motivation and mindset".

Chief of Detectives Kenny said: "We don't think that there's any specific threat to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem he has some ill will toward corporate America."