The Daily Star Ireland
New York prosecutors have charged the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, bringing an end to a tense five-day manhunt. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being recognized by a McDonald’s customer and employee.
When approached by two police officers inside the McDonald’s and asked if he had recently been in New York, Mangione began to shake and went quiet. He was wearing a mask and sitting alone with a laptop and backpack. A search of the backpack at the police station revealed a loaded “ghost gun” with a silencer, along with clothing and a mask matching those worn by the suspect.
Mangione was arraigned at the Blair County courthouse in Altoona, facing gun and forgery charges. He acknowledged understanding the charges but did not enter a plea. New York prosecutors have charged him with murder and four related gun charges. Due to false IDs and a large sum of cash found on Mangione, Pennsylvania prosecutors argued he was a flight risk, leading to bail being denied.
Several electronic devices were also found with Mangione, which are being examined by the police. Authorities are investigating whether he had accomplices and if he intended to harm others. Mangione, a Maryland native, had multiple fake IDs, including one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting. A handwritten document was found, revealing his hostility toward corporate America.
Mangione, who graduated as valedictorian from a private all-boys school in Baltimore and earned dual engineering degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020, had his last known address in Honolulu. Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel early Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to be waiting for him. The suspect fled the scene, rode a bike into Central Park, and later took a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where he boarded a bus to leave the city.
Police believe Thompson was deliberately targeted and are investigating if others were also at risk. Shell casings found at the scene had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” carved into them, reminiscent of a book critical of the insurance industry. Mangione’s online profiles suggest he is from Towson, Maryland, and a former University of Pennsylvania student. He also appears to have spent time at Stanford University and claims to live in Honolulu.
Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit since April 2021, having worked with the company for 20 years. He was in New York for the company’s annual investor conference. A UnitedHealth spokesperson expressed hope that Mangione’s capture brings some relief to Thompson’s family, friends, and colleagues affected by this tragedy.
