MIND OF A ‘KILLER’
CEO ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione ranted online about debilitating IBS, agonising back screws & ‘never being able to sleep’
The alleged shooter revealed what surgery he faced
LUIGI Mangione ranted online about debilitating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), never being able to sleep, and agonising back screws.
The 26-year-old, charged with the murder of CEO Brian Thompson, left a trail online revealing his mindset in the years leading up to the alleged assassination.
9
9
9
The health-focused posts on Reddit reveal a man who felt like his life had been stolen from him by his myriad of medical issues.
Mangione's history has come under scrutiny as people look for a motive to explain shocking slaying caught on CCTV cops say he did.
Under the user name Mister_Cactus, Mangione wrote about changing his diet due to IBS, battling chronic back pain, and restless sleep.
In 2023, he posted about how he was suffering from chronic back pain after a vertebrae had slipped.
Read more on US news
He wrote: "When my spondy went bad on me last year (23M) it was completely devastating as a young athletic person.
"Seemingly all I could read on the internet was that I was destined to chronic pain and a desk job for the rest of my life.
"That representation was terrifying, inaccurate and completely destroyed me until I realized the silent majority of fusions are highly successful."
In February this year, Mangione posted to the site saying he had surgery six months before to fix his back.
Most read in The US Sun
He wrote: "Yea I had L5/S1 spinal fusion 6 months ago after 1.5 years of failed conservative treatment. Within 7 days of the fusion I was on zero pain meds.
"(That's probably faster than most folks, but my point is just that your body isn't supposed to be in pain and need meds. Even after getting my back sliced open and my spine drilled into, I wasn't in much pain)."
CEO 'assassin' Luigi Mangione restrained by cops in screaming outburst as he arrives at court after McDonald's arrest
Mangione was reportedly suffering from spondylolisthesis and was given four screws placed deep into his spine to help with the pain.
Former classmates of Mangione said surgery happened after he injured in back in a surfing accident, but it went wrong and that this could have driven him the brink.
Mangione is said to have moved to Japan shortly after the accident and lived an almost silent life in seclusion away from family and friends.
One source, quoting the former classmates, said they felt the wealthy former valedictorian turned "absolutely crazy" after the operation.
9
9
They believe that following the ordeal, "everything changed" in his life.
But the back issue was not the only health problem Mangione had recently faced.
He revealed in 2018 that he was not sleeping for more than four hours in a stretch and often waking up eight or nine times a night.
He wrote: "Sleeping longer than 8 hours has no effect, but getting any less than 8 hours causes extreme exhaustion during the day."
Mangione wrote that he was not having caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and was exercising regularly.
In 2018, he also revealed he was struggling with IBS and considered changing his diet.
9
9
The health issues are a stark contrast to shirtless photos that emerged of Mangione with a six pack abs.
Mister_Cactus has now been suspended due to Reddit's policies around accounts liked to high profile crimes.
Mangione's health history could be a motive as bullets found appeared to have a message written on them.
Three bullet shell casings had the words "deny,"; "depose," and "defend" scribbled on them.
The message is similar to a 2010 book, Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It, written by insurance law expert and Rutgers Law School professor Jay M. Feinman.
What we know so far...
- Luigi Mangione charged with murder of Brian Thompson
- A person of interest was arrested at McDonald's with a ghost gun, silencer, and the same fake ID used by the killer at a NYC hostel
- 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
X-Ray pictures posted by Mangione show his spine with the screws implanted.
Mangione, 26, had a wild outburst moments before his court hearing on Tuesday, blasting his arrest as an "insult to Americans" as a judge denied his request for bail.
He was arrested a day earlier while eating at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles west of the Hilton hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, where Thompson was killed.
A McDonald's employee who took Mangione's order called Altoona police after recognizing the alleged assassin from the suspect's wanted posters out of New York.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
When confronted by cops, Mangione presented a fake New Jersey identification, which investigators suspect was the same document he used to check into a hostel in the Upper West Side before Thompson's killing.
Mangione's lawyer denied that his client had shot and killed Thompson, saying there is "zero evidence" he is the shooter.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
MANGIONE, 26, was regarded as a beloved, clever and wealthy man by his family, friends and all who knew him.
He was born and raised in Maryland where he was valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Gilman School in Baltimore.
He had no prior criminal history and was said to have been a model student, footballer and all-round athlete at high school.
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."
After, Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Computer and Information Science, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also got his masters from the Ivy League school.
Mangione was reportedly a data engineer at a car company in California before moving to Hawaii.
His cousin is also Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione.
9
9
Topics