Left school with top marks • Suspected the killer’s words in the manifesto – and the possible motive
The family of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, who is suspected of the murder of insurance CEO Brian Thompson, is now speaking out for the first time.
– We are devastated, the family writes in a statement.
It was on Wednesday last week that 53-year-old Brian Thompson, CEO of the insurance giant United Healthcare, was shot to death on an open street in New York with several shots.
Five days later, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested on suspicion of murder. The arrest took place at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee recognized him from surveillance photos and alerted the police. When officers approached Mangione, he began shaking and displayed a fake New Jersey ID.
Had written a manifesto
Upon arrest, the police found a so-called “ghost gun” with a silencer and a handwritten manifesto in which he wrote, among other things: “These parasites deserved it.”
The motive for the killing is still unclear, but Mangione has expressed displeasure with the health insurance industry in his manifesto. According to information in the American media, he began to feel mentally ill after a surfing accident in 2022 that resulted in an operation in which he is said to have had his back fitted with screws.
Affluent family in Baltimore
Luigi Mangione comes from a wealthy family in the state of Baltimore. After graduating high school with top honors, he went on to the University of Pennsylvania, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions of learning, where he graduated in Computer Science and Mathematics in 2020.
Mangione’s family is now speaking out for the first time since Thompson’s murder. In a statement provided by his cousin Nino Mangione, a Baltimore County Republican delegate, the family said:
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We are praying for Brian Thompson’s family and asking others to do the same. We are devastated by this news.”
The family says they cannot comment on media reports about Luigi Mangione and that they only know what has been reported in the media.