Suspect charged with murder in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: Updates
Editor's note: This page is a summary of news on the arrest of Luigi Mangione in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson for Monday, Dec. 9. For news updates on the investigation, visit USA TODAY's article on the arrest of Luigi Mangione for Tuesday, Dec. 10.
A Maryland man arrested at a McDonald's restaurant with what police say was a gun and silencer made with a 3-D printer was charged Monday night with murder and other felonies in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
A criminal complaint filed by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, also charged Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, with forgery, tampering with records or identification, giving police false ID, and possessing instruments of a crime. He was arraigned and jailed without bail.
Authorities said they found a 3D-printed handgun and a silencer when they searched Mangione's backpack upon detaining him at the McDonald's. The police officers, responding to a restaurant employee's tip, said they recognized Mangione right away from widely distributed law enforcement photos once he removed his face mask upon their request.
"We just didn’t think twice about it," rookie officer Tyler Frye said at a night news conference. "We knew that was our guy.’’
According to the complaint, Mangione presented a fake New Jersey driver's license when first approached by officers, who said he grew silent and started shaking when they asked if he had recently been in New York City.
The evening proceedings capped a dramatic day when authorities got a big break with the worker's morning call after searching for Thompson's killer since he was gunned down outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel early Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro commended the worker while chastising those who have celebrated Thompson’s killing because of frustration with health care insurance companies.
"In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero," Shapiro said. "Hear me on this: He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning."
Mangione family member releases statement after arrest: 'Shocked and devastated'
Nino Mangione, a Maryland state delegate, is a cousin of Luigi Mangione, according to WBAL-TV. Nino Mangione released a statement on behalf of the family after the arrest Monday night.
"We only know what we have read in the media," Nino Mangione said in the statement, posted on X. "Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved."
The Baltimore-area family issued the statement before New York City prosecutors charged Mangione with murder. The 26-year-old is currently being held in Pennsylvania but is expected to be extradited to New York.
The targeted killing of the health care executive and the ensuing dayslong manhunt for a suspect has quickly spread the Mangione name around America. But in Baltimore, the family is better known for their contributions to the area.
— Michael Loria, Chris Kenning, and Charles Ventura
Busted for fake ID: How authorities nabbed Luigi Mangione
Altoona police arriving at a local McDonald’s on a tip asked a man resembling the United Healthcare CEO shooter if he had been to New York recently and when they did he grew quiet and began to shake, according to a criminal complaint in the arrest of Mangione.
Mangione, the person of interest in the killing of Thompson, was at the McDonald’s when a customer spied him and reported him to an employee who then called police, state police said at a news conference Monday evening. Mangione was wearing the signature blue surgical mask the shooter was wearing in New York City surveillance footage and seated at the back of the restaurant using a laptop, the Altoona Police Department complaint added.
Police discovered the identification card Mangione produced — for a Mark Rosario of New Jersey — was fake, at which point he identified himself, according to the criminal complaint. Law enforcement found a black 3D-printed pistol and silencer in Mangione’s backpack, according to charging documents.
Frye, six months on the job, said Mangione "was very cooperative." Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania, according to Pennsylvania court documents.
The Altoona McDonald’s was the suspected killer’s latest stop in a several-day trek around Pennsylvania that included stop-overs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, according to state police. New York City prosecutors are expected to file charges soon at which point Mangione could be extradited to Manhattan, said Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks.
The arrest came the same day Thompson was buried in Minnesota, according to officials.
— Michael Loria
NYC police commissioner: Articles found on Mangione 'consistent' with items used by CEO's killer
Upon announcing the arrest of a person of interest earlier Monday, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a gun, silencer, mask, and fake identification card found on Mangione were "consistent" with items believed used by Thompson's killer.
"We have a strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city," New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference. "It was crucial that we were able to remove him off the streets of America."
Handwritten papers found on Mangione "speak to his motivation and mindset," Tisch said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the three-page document included no other targets but expressed "ill will toward corporate America."
Mangione had a ghost gun, which can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace, Kenny said. The gun may have been made on a 3D printer and capable of firing a 9mm round, he added.
Authorities uncovered numerous videos and photos of the person of interest from which they developed a precise timeline for his escape from the shooting scene and flight from the city. Authorities said Mangione was raised in Maryland, went to college in Pennsylvania, and had a last known address in Honolulu.
Here's what we know so far: Who is the man detained in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing?
Gov. Shapiro: 'We are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice'
Gov. Josh Shapiro defended the Pennsylvania McDonald’s customer who identified the person of interest in the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO at a news conference Monday evening.
"In some dark corners this killer is being hailed as a hero," Shapiro said of Mangione. "Hear me on this, he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning."
Shapiro’s defense of the customer comes after an outpouring of support online for Mangione, whom many have hailed as sticking up for Americans against the health insurance industry.
“Some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbed as some want to celebrate this killer,” said Shapiro.
The arrest of the suspected killer comes just months after the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shapiro shared he was deeply concerned about what he saw as a troubling trend in the nation.
"We do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences," Shapiro said. "I have no tolerance, nor should anyone for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most."
"In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice," said Shapiro.
— Michael Loria
Google pulls McDonald's negative reviews after arrest in UnitedHealth killing
Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's after the suspect in the killing of a UnitedHealthcare executive was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.
The negative comments aimed at McDonald's were the latest in what is known as "review bombing," where an establishment is hit with a litany of bad reviews based on a political view or an occurrence unrelated to its actual business.
In this case, the negative and one-star reviews showed up after Mangione was captured at a McDonald’s in Altoona. He was spotted eating at the restaurant by a customer who alerted a McDonald's employee, state police said.
"These reviews violate our policies and have been removed," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
— Reuters
Mangione's path from valedictorian to person of interest
A private school valedictorian. An Ivy League graduate. And now a person of interest in the killing of the United HealthCare CEO that's captured the attention of the nation.
Mangione — law enforcement’s person of interest captured in Pennsylvania — has an impressive resume and Ivy League education, with the kind of affluent and influential family ties that can often pave a path to a successful future. But now Mangione, who hasn't been charged in the crime, finds himself at the unlikely center of a murder investigation that has sparked a conversation around health care in the U.S. and how untraceable "ghost guns" and silencers can be assembled via a 3-D printer.
"Even early on the class of 2016 was challenging the world around it," says Mangione in his Gilman School valedictorian speech in Baltimore. "The class of 2016’s inventiveness also stems from its incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things."
During his speech, Mangione was personable, witty, and confident. The news of his arrest shocked the leaders of the prestigious schools he attended.
"Luigi Mangione’s suspected involvement in this case is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation," Gilman's Head of School Henry Smyth wrote in a statement. "Here on campus, our focus will remain on caring for and educating our students." Read more here.
— Michael Loria and Chris Kenning, USA TODAY
Magione appeared to approve of 'Unabomber' manifesto
An online post by a reviewer who appeared to be Mangione was highly supportive of a manifesto written by Ted Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber" who killed three people and injured 23 in a series of mail bombings between 1978 and 1995.
The Goodreads review from January 2024 was written by a user with a profile name "Luigi (lnmangione)" and the same photo Mangione used in other social media profiles.
“It’s easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies,'' the reviewer said. "But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out."
— Dinah Voyles Pulver
What is a ‘ghost gun’ and are they legal?
New York City officials said early information indicated the firearm seized with Mangione was a so-called ‘ghost gun’ that may have been created on a 3D printer.
The term refers to un-serialized firearms that are manufactured at home with do-it-yourself kits. Critics of the firearms say they are problematic because they are not traceable like traditional firearms with serial numbers.
President Joe Biden has announced a federal rule to require manufacturers of the kits to perform background checks and mark the weapons with serial numbers – the same requirement of standard gun producers.
The U.S. Supreme Court held arguments in October about the regulation, which could be struck down. The ruling would not impact the legality of "privately made firearms" by individuals, which are legal for personal use as long as they're not sold or transferred.
The number of suspected ghost guns recovered by law enforcement and submitted for tracing to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives increased by more than 1,000% between 2017 and 2021. The number more than doubled from 2020 to 2021.
Alumnus Mangione bringing unwanted attention to Penn
Outside Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, reporters gathered and University of Pennsylvania students and West Philadelphia residents rushed by, but no one wanted to talk about Mangione, at least not on the record."No comment," a young man said brusquely as he walked into the brick twin house, past the red cups and a beer can on the porch. He let the door slam behind him. No one answered the bell.Penn student Paige Nolan said her father, who works near the scene of the shooting in Manhattan, called her when he heard the news. "He was really curious and wondered who it was," Nolan said.
Natasha Yajadda, also a student at the school, said she was surprised someone from an educated, privileged background “would take such violent action.”“It brings attention to the school, and not in a good way,” she said. Neither she nor Nolan, though, thought the alleged actions of one graduate would harm the prestigious university’s reputation.— Phaedra Trethan
Investigators hail crucial role of public in finding person of interest
Tisch, the police commissioner, said the tip from the McDonald's employee in Thompson's slaying is the third recent case in which the public has helped police. A tip also helped with the investigation of a recent triple stabbing in Manhattan and a gunpoint robbery in Queens, during which an NYPD officer was shot. Tisch said the tips "led to the recovery of crucial evidence.”
"We should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and ears in these investigations," Tisch said.
While investigators recovered "an enormous amount" of forensic and video evidence in the case, Kenny told reporters Monday the lynchpin came after the release of the photos of the person of interest, which went viral on social media. Hundreds of tips poured in after authorities released the photos and offered $60,000 in reward money for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
It's extremely common for the public to help police identify suspects in all kinds of crimes, which is why the relationship between the police and the community is so important, said Joe Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
"Considering how much money was on the table with the reward money, I mean, the whole country was looking for this guy. He had no friends," Giacalone said.
Ex-FBI profiler on the investigation: This is not a TV show
Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole told USA TODAY on Monday that she was not surprised at the length of time the investigation took despite the scores of police and FBI agents working the case.
“We expect these cases to be solved overnight, like they do in a TV show. But this is not TV and these cases take more time than that," O’Toole said.
O'Toole said fake money from a Monopoly game found in the suspect's backpack had concerned her.
"He knew the police would find it," she said. "If he thinks this is a game, he may not understand the egregiousness of what he has done. And he may have other targets."
Pressure on law enforcement to solve crime
Christopher Dennison, an associate professor of sociology and criminology at the University at Buffalo, says the shooting prompted widespread discussion about inequities in the U.S. health care system that likely placed added pressure on authorities to solve the crime. But those pressures aside, time is always of the essence, he said.
"The chances of finding the offender significantly decrease as we get further away from the incident," Dennison said. "In the end, the last thing anyone wants is for this case to turn into another D.B. Cooper."
Suspect was tracked to a bus station
Thompson, 50, was shot Wednesday on a Midtown street outside a hotel where he was set to speak at an investment conference. Surveillance cameras show a shooter firing multiple times from behind Thompson at close range at about 6:45 a.m.
Police, primarily through surveillance cameras around the city, tracked the suspect's movement as he fled on foot before mounting an electric bike and riding into Central Park. He caught a cab around 7 a.m. on the Upper West Side and was seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later, NYPD's Kenny said.
The latest photos of the suspect, released late Saturday, appear to have been taken from a camera in the cab and show him wearing a blue medical mask and a hooded jacket. In one photo, he appears to be looking through the partition from the back seat; in the other photo, he is on the street.
Previously released photos have provided a relatively clear view of his face.
To them, slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a local farm boy
Brian Thompson's roots go back to rural Iowa
To the world, Thompson was the leader of a major corporation and a brilliant executive whose death last week ignited a massive manhunt. But residents of Hamilton County, Iowa, knew Thompson as a friend, neighbor and classmate. Thompson, 50, was raised on a farm between the small town of Jewell and the even tinier town of Stanhope and graduated from the communities' shared South Hamilton High School in 1993.
Taylor Hill says he and Thompson grew close in their middle and high school years before Thompson left for college at the University of Iowa. They played golf, basketball and baseball together, trading sports cards and making mix tapes of the hits they listened to while growing up.
"He was one of the smartest kids, if not the smartest, and I would say the smartest person I've ever known," Hill said. "He was probably smarter than half our teachers. And the thing with our teachers is they knew it, too."
− Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: Suspect charged with murder
