(TJV) The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been charged with murder, Manhattan prosecutors confirmed late Monday.
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was initially arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police. Authorities plan to extradite him to New York to face trial.
Mangione’s arrest followed a manhunt after Thompson, 50, was shot outside the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024. Thompson had been preparing to address investors at the time of the attack.
When police apprehended Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, they discovered a 3-D-printed “ghost gun” and a note described as a manifesto. CNN reported that the note included statements such as, “These parasites had it coming” and “I acted alone. I’m self-funded.” It condemned corporate America and argued that protest was ineffective, advocating violence instead.
The manifesto, found alongside Monopoly money in a backpack recovered earlier in Central Park, appeared to carry symbolic messages. Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman suggested that the fake bills might represent criticism of UnitedHealthcare, portraying the company as a monopoly profiting off patients.
Investigators also reported that bullet casings at the crime scene were engraved with words like “deny,” “defend,” and “depose”—a possible reference to the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” often associated with insurance company tactics to avoid paying claims.
The killing has sparked intense reactions online, with some social media users turning the incident into a symbol of anti-corporate resistance. Memes and merchandise portraying Mangione as a modern-day Robin Hood have proliferated, with many expressing outrage over perceived injustices in the healthcare industry.
However, the incident has also led to heightened fears among corporate leaders. Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, revealed to CNBC that two other executives received threatening packages over the weekend, some containing language similar to that found in Mangione’s manifesto.
Flags flew at half-mast outside UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, in memory of Thompson, as law enforcement continues to investigate the broader implications of this chilling act.