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Luigi Nicolas Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of a New York City medical executive, appears to have lived a charmed life. The grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, he was valedictorian of an elite prep school in Baltimore and holds a degree from one of the nation’s top universities. Top private university.
Friends of the 26-year-old’s former home, an upscale co-living space on the edge of Hawaii’s tourist town Waikiki, widely consider him a “wonderful guy” and photos on his social media accounts show he is in good health. Whether it’s on the beach or at a party, you’ll see a handsome young man smiling.
Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are trying to figure out why this man strayed from his path and made the violent and extreme decision to shoot and kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a daring attack on the streets of Manhattan. I’m trying to figure it out.
The killing sparked widespread discussion about corporate greed, the inequities of the health insurance industry, and even stirred folk hero sentiment against the killer.
But Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sharply disputed that perception after Mangione’s arrest on Monday. A customer spotted Mangione eating at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania and noticed he looked like the suspect in the mass shooting seen in security camera photos released by the New York Police Department.
“In some dark corners, this murderer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me out on this, he’s not a hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero of this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.”
WATCH: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect enters courtroom and shouts: “This is an insult to the intelligence of the American people.”
Suspect’s family and background
The suspect is from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather, Nick Mangione, who passed away in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his most famous projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury resort and conference center outside of Baltimore that he purchased in 1978.
The family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday, Baltimore County police sealed off the entrance to the property, which public records link to the suspect’s parents. Reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance.
According to a 2003 Washington Post report, Nick Mangione, a father of 10 children, asked his five sons, including Luigi Mangione’s father, Luigi Mangione, to help run the family business. He said he had prepared to receive it. According to his grandfather’s obituary, Nick Mangione had 37 grandchildren, including Luigi.
A statement from Loyola University in memory of Nick Mangione’s wife in 2023 said the suspect’s grandparents donated to charity through the Mangione Family Foundation. They donated to a variety of causes, including Catholic organizations, universities, and the arts.
One of the suspect’s cousins is Republican Maryland congressman Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for his office confirmed.
In a statement posted on social media by Nino Mangione, the suspect’s family said: “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.” “Our prayers go out to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for everyone involved.”
Below is a timeline of events leading up to and after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Suspect’s educational background and work history
Mangione, who was valedictorian at an elite prep school in Maryland, earned bachelor’s and graduate degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020, a university spokesperson told The Associated Press.
He studied coding in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in games and game design, according to a 2018 article in campus publication Penn Today.
His social media posts suggest he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. Also included are photos of him participating in the 2019 program at Stanford University and with family and friends on the Jersey Shore, Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, and more.
The Gilman School, from which he graduated in 2016, is one of Baltimore’s elite prep schools. The children of some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent residents attend the school, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. Alumni include sportswriter Frank Deford and former Arizona Governor Fife Symington.
In his graduation speech, the suspect spoke of his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.”
After high school, he took a software programming internship at Maryland-based video game studio Firaxis, where he fixed bugs in the hit strategy game Civilization 6, according to his LinkedIn profile. Firaxis’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said it does not comment on former employees.
He most recently worked at car-buying website TrueCar, but will no longer work after 2023, a top official at the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company confirmed to The Associated Press.
Report of stay in Hawaii and back pain
From January to June 2022, the suspect lived at Surf Break, a “co-living” space on the edge of Honolulu’s Waikiki tourist area.
Josiah Ryan, a spokesman for owner and founder RJ Martin, said he underwent a background check, as did other residents of the shared penthouse for remote workers.
“Luigi was widely considered a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. “There was no indication of the crime they claim he committed.”
At the surf break, Ryan said, Martin learned that Mangione had suffered from severe back pain since childhood, which interfered with many aspects of his life, including surfing.
Ryan said, “I once went surfing with RJ, but it didn’t go well because of my back,” but noted that the suspect and Martin often went to a rock climbing gym together.
Ryan said the suspect left the surf break for surgery on the mainland, then returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. Images posted on social media accounts associated with the suspect showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone’s lower spine.
Martin stopped hearing from the suspect about six months to a year ago.
The X account linked to the suspect includes recent posts about the negative effects smartphones have on children. healthy eating and exercise habits. psychological theory. and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of “adjusting well to a deeply sick society.”
Police report blackout
Mangione was likely motivated by anger at what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and disdain for corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
Based on the suspect’s handwritten notes and social media research, the newspaper said the United States has the world’s most expensive health care system and that while big business profits continue to rise, “our life expectancy is increasing.” ” has not grown, he wrote. Post.
According to the paper, he appeared to view the targeted killing of the United Healthcare CEO as a symbolic downfall, writing in a memo that he was “the first person to approach this case with such brutal honesty.” insisted.
The suspect may have drawn inspiration from Ted Kaczynski, the “Unabomber,” a man who carried out a series of bombings while calling him a “political revolutionary” and railing against modern society and technology, the document said.
Associated Press writer Lee Skene in Baltimore; Jennifer Cinco Kelleher of Honolulu; Merriclair Dale of Philadelphia; John Seewer of Toledo, Ohio; and Michael Kunzelman in Washington, DC, contributed to this report.
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