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Stunned By Luigi Mangione’s Arrest, Here’s What His Friends Have Been Saying About Him
Luigi Mangione was charged in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan, New York, USA. Once celebrated as a brilliant valedictorian and software engineer, Mangione’s recent life has been marked by chronic health struggles and an online presence that went silent this summer, leaving friends and family alarmed. Now in custody in Pennsylvania, Mangione’s arrest left those who knew him grappling with disbelief.
Before allegedly shooting and killing the controversial healthcare company CEO last Wednesday (December 4), Mangione reportedly maintained an active social media presence, posting smiling photographs from his travels, sharing his weightlifting routine, and discussing the health challenges he faced.
RELATED:
Luigi Mangione was charged in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Image credits: SyeClops
He publicly kept track of nearly 300 books he had read or wanted to read, even posting a favorable review of the Unabomber manifesto on a book website, CNN reported on Monday (December 9).
Mangione’s favorite books on Goodreads included a mix of thought-provoking books like The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
He also shared an interest in books about back pain like Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Back Mechanic.
However, during the summer, Mangione appeared to stop posting online, prompting worried messages from some of his friends.
Image credits: CNN
“Nobody has heard from you in months, and apparently your family is looking for you,” a person posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) in October, tagging an account belonging to Mangione.
“I don’t know if you are okay,” someone else penned, according to CNN.
The suspect graduated from the prestigious Gilman School, an all-boys institution that is known as one of Baltimore’s toniest private schools, where he was the high school valedictorian in 2016, CNN reported.
In his valedictorian speech, Mangione praised his classmates for “coming up with new ideas and challenging the world.”
Mangione’s arrest left those who knew him grappling with disbelief
Image credits: Surfbreak Co-Living
He exclaimed at the time: “To the class of 2016, a kind of class that only comes around once every 50 years, it’s been an incredible journey, and I simply can’t imagine the last few years with any other group of guys.”
Former Gilman School classmate, Corey Wey, revealed that Mangione was seen as a “leader” by his peers, and partook in many clubs in addition to playing soccer and baseball.
Wey told FOX 10 on Monday: “Everyone just knew him as like a quiet reserved nice kid and he was obviously really intelligent and everybody can tell that by his resume.”
Image credits: Surfbreak Co-Living
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in science engineering, and then, from the same university, with a Master’s degree in the same discipline.
While an undergrad, the suspect worked as an intern on the team for the video game Civilization VI, where he helped improve the user experience by fixing over 300 issues with the game’s interface.
He was also a part-time teaching assistant and a head counselor in artificial intelligence at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mangione’s recent life was marked by chronic health struggles
Image credits: SyeClops
Mangione went on to work as a data engineer for four years at TrueCar, an automotive pricing and digital retailing website for new and used car buyers.
The ex-classmate further revealed: “He spoke at our graduation. Every year, they have somebody who’s, you know, exceeds academically, and […] they have them speak in front of our high school, and it’s weird saying it, but he was that person that we chose to speak.”
Wey, who didn’t recognize his old high school buddy at first from the initial surveillance footage released to the public, said that he was left shaken upon learning the suspect’s identity.
Image credits: Rick Anderson
“My initial reactions were just shock, surprise, and I just would never expect someone who went to our school to, you know, be involved in this, so it was just shock, really, I’m still shocked.”
While Wey said they had occasionally kept in touch via Instagram, he hadn’t made real-life contact with Mangione for at least four years.
Another classmate, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed Mangione was “brilliant-minded” and “very popular” in high school.
A former Gilman School classmate, Corey Wey, revealed that Mangione was seen as a “leader”
Image credits: FOX 10 Phoenix
They told News Nation on Monday: “He was the valedictorian of our high school, but he didn’t put in much effort at all.
“He would sit there in class, not study after school, and aced the tests.”
They continued: “[Mangione] was an extraordinary mind. He was a very popular person in the class.”
Image credits: lukewgoldstein
“Had a lot of friends. It’s just shocking that he would commit such a heinous act.”
Mangione is the cousin of Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione. In a statement released by N. Mangione’s office, the family said they are “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 statement said, as per CNN.
Mangione was once celebrated as a brilliant high school valedictorian
Image credits: PepMangione
In recent years, Mangione suffered from troubling back pain and underwent surgery to treat it, according to a friend and his online postings.
Since his arrest on Monday, Mangione’s family and friends have been left stunned. “I can make zero sense of it,” said R.J. Martin, who lived with Mangione a few years ago at Surfbreak, a Hawaii co-living space.
Martin reportedly remembered Mangione as being friendly and thoughtful, adding: “It’s unimaginable.”
Image credits: CNN
Around 2022, Mangione moved to Hawaii, where he lived for about six months at a co-working and co-living space in Honolulu, Martin told CNN. At the time, Mangione was working remotely, Martin said.
Mangione helped lead a book club for residents and liked going hiking and doing yoga, Martin, the founder of the co-living space, said.
While residents sometimes discussed capitalism and the health care system, “it wasn’t like he had an ax to grind or he was even upset or angry about a particular issue,” Martin said, as per CNN.
Mangione appeared to stop posting online, prompting worried messages from some of his friends
Image credits: MaxNordau
Martin reportedly didn’t remember Mangione ever talking about guns or violence. According to Martin, soon after Mangione moved to Hawaii, he took a surfing lesson and ended up “in bed for about a week” with back pain.
Martin told the American broadcaster: “It was really traumatic and difficult, you know, when you’re in your early twenties and you can’t, you know, do some basic things.”
Mangione reportedly told Martin that he had undergone back surgery and sent him a photo of his X-ray that “looked heinous, with just giant screws going into his spine.”
Image credits: CNN
Another friend from Hawaii recalled Mangione as a natural leader. Jackie Wexler, a food technologist in New York who used to live with Mangione at Surfbreak, told Maryland Matters on Monday: “He was just such a thoughtful and deeply compassionate person at everything he did.”
Wexler had attended the University of Pennsylvania with Mangione but didn’t become friends with him until they were both living on Oahu at Surfbreak.
Surfbreak residents are expected to contribute to the community, and Mangione played a role by founding the book club with Wexler and Martin, Maryland Matters reported.
The 26-year-old is currently being held without bail at the State Correctional Institution in Huntingdon under maximum custody
Image credits: CorrectionsPA
“I was roommates with him,” Martin also said. “Unfathomable, knowing the kind of person that I saw and knew.”
Martin continued: “He was a very thoughtful person, had good relationships with everyone.
“He was even, in some ways, a bit of a leader.”
Image credits: SyeClops
They recalled Mangione having recently read Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and being enthusiastic about sharing ideas with friends.
Mangione, who had no significant criminal history aside from a minor trespassing citation in Hawaii last year, went silent in June or July, after reportedly undergoing surgery.
Posts from a now-deleted Reddit account, likely linked to Mangione, revealed long-term struggles with spondylolisthesis, a slip of one of the spinal vertebrae.
Mangione helped lead a book club for residents in Hawaii
Image credits: The Sun
The condition seemingly worsened after the surfing accident in 2023 that caused severe back pain and numbness, eventually requiring surgery.
The Redditor also described dealing with Lyme disease and debilitating brain fog that began during his college fraternity days, negatively affecting his academic performance.
A University of Pennsylvania spokesperson confirmed that Mangione was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Image credits: G_S_Bhogal
The Redditor, believed to be Mangione, expressed frustration over the lack of medical understanding and support for these issues, describing the symptoms as isolating and life-altering.
Mangione’s close friend, Tracy Le, also spoke out, calling him caring, considerate, and one of her most trusted confidants.
She wrote in an Instagram Story, according to The Sun US on Monday: “Luigi Mangione is probably the most googled keyword today.
“When I first saw the news, I was hoping it was just either a common name or a mistake. Because it was, for a while, the only name whose FaceTime calls I would pick up.”
Mangione reportedly faces multiple charges, including murder and weapons possession
Image credits: NewsNation
“Luigi was one of my best, closest and most trusted friends. He was absolutely #1 in my group chat named ‘Tracey’s favorites.’
“He was whom I always came to for identity crisis rants, relationship problems, career complaints. And always left feeling better.”
Le continued: “He was caring, and smart, and mature, and sweet, and so considerate. I would visit him and always 100% depended on him to plan the trips and always 100% believed we would have the best time.”
She concluded: “I am shaken, I am blindsided, but most of all I, am sad. I am heartbroken. I am overwhelmed.”
Image credits: WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore
Additionally, a former colleague of Mangione who worked with him as a counselor at a Stanford University summer program during his college years described him as outgoing and socially charming.
“I am flabbergasted,” the colleague said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the news. “I never got the impression he would self-destruct.”
Alejandro Romero, who attended the University of Pennsylvania with Mangione and was a member of the same Discord group, said he was shocked when news broke on social media that Mangione had been taken into police custody, NBC News reported.
“He just fit a mold,” Romero said. “He just seemed like any other normal frat dude that you could see at a frat party.”
Mangione reportedly maintained an active social media presence
Image credits: FOX 10 Phoenix
Mangione was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania after a McDonald’s employee identified him as the suspected gunman in the murder of Thompson.
The 26-year-old is currently being held without bail at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon under maximum custody, with no incidents reported during his first night, CNN reported.
Authorities have reportedly recovered a ghost gun with a silencer, fraudulent IDs, and a handwritten document expressing disdain for corporate America, and they continue to investigate Mangione’s movements and possible accomplices.
Mangione reportedly faces multiple charges, including murder and weapons possession, following a five-day manhunt that has drawn global attention.
Mangione’s arrest has sparked heated debates on social media
What do you think ?
Sue From Michigan 2 weeks ago
Good luck finding a jury willing to convict this guy, everyone in America has a story about an insurance company denying them needed treatment.
CP 2 weeks ago (edited)
It reminds me of the internet story that makes the rounds from time to time about a town bully, harasser and all around terrible person who got shot with over 20 witnesses and no one claimed to have saw a thing.
Load More Replies...
Jayjay 2 weeks ago
The thing is... no one condones murder. However, people are being murdered on a daily basis, not in the least sick people needing care that costs care they don't have access to because of rich people wanting to get richer. This man is a (anti)hero. He burst the bubble of the health insurance system of the USA, offering the rest of his life to expose the legally condoned but humanly criminal system of the health insurance. I do hope that many many solicitors will gather and defend him. In the other post on this subject I read so many heart wrenching stories, I don't think they are the exception but the horrible rule of insurance companies.
Campy 2 weeks ago (edited)
If you think things can really be changed by voting, you're irredeemably stupid. That's over. The wealthy won. They have the system so wired in their favor, the only thing that can change it is revolution. This guy is a hero as far as I'm concerned. I hope to have the strength to follow in his footsteps some day.
Sue 2 weeks ago
And that's why unions & laws protecting employees & minimum wage were instituted. Things got rough back in the beginning of the industrial days. Murder on both sides was a thing. But the conservatives, at least the ones in power, seem to want an oligarchy like Russia, which makes sense since they electred a guy who is best buddies with Putin. They think it will be better, but you can only push your citizens so far before they start to pop off because they have nothing else to live for. This guy had something to leave for, but did it anyway. Trump people are going to go off the rails once he institutes everything he planned. Anyone want to take bets on whether groceries will go up 2x, 3x, 4x, etc. toward the beginning of next year.
Load More Replies...
Chris Landrum 2 weeks ago
I am old enough to remember remember when many doctors were wealthy, but not in an outlandish manner, and people accepted it. Generally care was pretty good. Then the insurance companies decided they should get the money and care has suffered. I just dont know if our government would really provide better care, ask a vet
Sue 2 weeks ago
My boyfriend has been taken care of just fine. There are delays in appointments sometimes, but in emergency's he got help. I knew damn well that he gets better care than the majority of people in this county, and especially the ones with NO insurance. Socialize it & all the "profit" of the insurance companies can go to paying doctors & other carers more.
Load More Replies...
Karen Krause 2 weeks ago
He was active and socially active. He then got chronic backpain, had surgery, big bills, isolation, and staying in bed for days. Big changes in his life. He probably had UHC and they refused further surgery which would have made a difference in his life. Can't approve of his actions, but can understand. Reading what others are saying, I think many other CEO's in the states should start looking over their shoulders. For that fear, I don't really mind.
Sue 2 weeks ago
UHC can't even get my local hospital to negotiate. They keep sending me letters that they are trying but our hospital refuses to. It's bad when even the hospitals are dropping them.
Load More Replies... CP 2 weeks ago
I would go for self defense in this trial. "The deceased killed a lot of people and I was afraid I was next."
Orysha 2 weeks ago
Same, and also he ki.iled (if it really was him) a mass mur.derer. They should give this guy tons of medals.
Load More Replies...
pfeils wife 2 weeks ago
Let me first say, that I don't condone gun violence ---any violence, as a way to solve problems. With that said, karma is a biotch. Regarding Brian Thompson... my condolences have not been pre-approved, but my thoughts, copays and deductibles are with your family. Sorry, not sorry.
Paul Rabit 2 weeks ago
The ironic thing in all this is that Mangione now - as an inmate in the US - has a constitutional right to free health care.
Jayjay 2 weeks ago
I want to react to the last post above from TemporaryGuidance1 that violence is never the answer. Well, sometimes it is. That's life. Sometimes corporations, gouvernments, institutions are too big to be held responsible in a legal way. Read the post on so many people and children being denied payout, losing their lives because of it. That is also violence, murdering by withholding assets. Sometimes someone has to be so courageous to blow the bubble of the rich. Note: I do NOT condone violence, but sometimes there is no choice to let the voices of the meak to be heard.
Patricia Manteuffel 2 weeks ago
I have chronic back pain, spinal stenosis, DDD, I'm on pain management for years. Not once did I think, my back pain is a reason to kill someone.
Tamra 2 weeks ago (edited)
I would imagine having those awful conditions without access to any healthcare or relief might change your mind in some aspects. Or watching someone you love suffer and die because some millionaire decided to not cover their care because he felt he needed a few million more. Not saying any of that would drive me to murder, but I'd definitely understand it.
Load More Replies... gd6y7k7wnp 2 weeks ago
We shouldn't be too quick to judge either the perpetrator of this heinous act or his victim based on alleged justifications for the actions leading to it. The actual perp, whether it's Luigi or not, has a right to his day in court. Something, the perp did not afford Thompson. Anyone could be in Luigi's situation right now. Because of that, it's better to let justice do its job and not try to put the horse before the carriage. Else, we are no better.
CP 2 weeks ago (edited)
I am so sick of pedantic people like you acting like they made this super secret revelation about socialized medicine that no one else knows about. Thank you for telling everyone what everybody already knows! I will give you a super secret revelation that you may not know. There isn't really any difference with giving our money to private companies for insurance vs the government when it comes to the actual systems. One is just private with a profit motive and one is public with no profit motive. Why do you want to give people money for doing useless things? It is very inefficient. Now let's do the IRS and taxes. The IRS could easily do our taxes for "free", but you wouldn't like that, right? You like inefficiencies and want to give corporations money for unnecessary things. You sound like a bootlicker.
Load More Replies...
Sue From Michigan 2 weeks ago
Good luck finding a jury willing to convict this guy, everyone in America has a story about an insurance company denying them needed treatment.
CP 2 weeks ago (edited)
It reminds me of the internet story that makes the rounds from time to time about a town bully, harasser and all around terrible person who got shot with over 20 witnesses and no one claimed to have saw a thing.
Load More Replies... Jayjay 2 weeks ago
The thing is... no one condones murder. However, people are being murdered on a daily basis, not in the least sick people needing care that costs care they don't have access to because of rich people wanting to get richer. This man is a (anti)hero. He burst the bubble of the health insurance system of the USA, offering the rest of his life to expose the legally condoned but humanly criminal system of the health insurance. I do hope that many many solicitors will gather and defend him. In the other post on this subject I read so many heart wrenching stories, I don't think they are the exception but the horrible rule of insurance companies.
Campy 2 weeks ago (edited)
If you think things can really be changed by voting, you're irredeemably stupid. That's over. The wealthy won. They have the system so wired in their favor, the only thing that can change it is revolution. This guy is a hero as far as I'm concerned. I hope to have the strength to follow in his footsteps some day.
Sue 2 weeks ago
And that's why unions & laws protecting employees & minimum wage were instituted. Things got rough back in the beginning of the industrial days. Murder on both sides was a thing. But the conservatives, at least the ones in power, seem to want an oligarchy like Russia, which makes sense since they electred a guy who is best buddies with Putin. They think it will be better, but you can only push your citizens so far before they start to pop off because they have nothing else to live for. This guy had something to leave for, but did it anyway. Trump people are going to go off the rails once he institutes everything he planned. Anyone want to take bets on whether groceries will go up 2x, 3x, 4x, etc. toward the beginning of next year.
Load More Replies... Chris Landrum 2 weeks ago
I am old enough to remember remember when many doctors were wealthy, but not in an outlandish manner, and people accepted it. Generally care was pretty good. Then the insurance companies decided they should get the money and care has suffered. I just dont know if our government would really provide better care, ask a vet
Sue 2 weeks ago
My boyfriend has been taken care of just fine. There are delays in appointments sometimes, but in emergency's he got help. I knew damn well that he gets better care than the majority of people in this county, and especially the ones with NO insurance. Socialize it & all the "profit" of the insurance companies can go to paying doctors & other carers more.
Load More Replies... Karen Krause 2 weeks ago
He was active and socially active. He then got chronic backpain, had surgery, big bills, isolation, and staying in bed for days. Big changes in his life. He probably had UHC and they refused further surgery which would have made a difference in his life. Can't approve of his actions, but can understand. Reading what others are saying, I think many other CEO's in the states should start looking over their shoulders. For that fear, I don't really mind.
Sue 2 weeks ago
UHC can't even get my local hospital to negotiate. They keep sending me letters that they are trying but our hospital refuses to. It's bad when even the hospitals are dropping them.
Load More Replies... CP 2 weeks ago
I would go for self defense in this trial. "The deceased killed a lot of people and I was afraid I was next."
Orysha 2 weeks ago
Same, and also he ki.iled (if it really was him) a mass mur.derer. They should give this guy tons of medals.
Load More Replies... pfeils wife 2 weeks ago
Let me first say, that I don't condone gun violence ---any violence, as a way to solve problems. With that said, karma is a biotch. Regarding Brian Thompson... my condolences have not been pre-approved, but my thoughts, copays and deductibles are with your family. Sorry, not sorry.
Paul Rabit 2 weeks ago
The ironic thing in all this is that Mangione now - as an inmate in the US - has a constitutional right to free health care.
Jayjay 2 weeks ago
I want to react to the last post above from TemporaryGuidance1 that violence is never the answer. Well, sometimes it is. That's life. Sometimes corporations, gouvernments, institutions are too big to be held responsible in a legal way. Read the post on so many people and children being denied payout, losing their lives because of it. That is also violence, murdering by withholding assets. Sometimes someone has to be so courageous to blow the bubble of the rich. Note: I do NOT condone violence, but sometimes there is no choice to let the voices of the meak to be heard.
Patricia Manteuffel 2 weeks ago
I have chronic back pain, spinal stenosis, DDD, I'm on pain management for years. Not once did I think, my back pain is a reason to kill someone.
Tamra 2 weeks ago (edited)
I would imagine having those awful conditions without access to any healthcare or relief might change your mind in some aspects. Or watching someone you love suffer and die because some millionaire decided to not cover their care because he felt he needed a few million more. Not saying any of that would drive me to murder, but I'd definitely understand it.
Load More Replies... gd6y7k7wnp 2 weeks ago
We shouldn't be too quick to judge either the perpetrator of this heinous act or his victim based on alleged justifications for the actions leading to it. The actual perp, whether it's Luigi or not, has a right to his day in court. Something, the perp did not afford Thompson. Anyone could be in Luigi's situation right now. Because of that, it's better to let justice do its job and not try to put the horse before the carriage. Else, we are no better.
CP 2 weeks ago (edited)
I am so sick of pedantic people like you acting like they made this super secret revelation about socialized medicine that no one else knows about. Thank you for telling everyone what everybody already knows! I will give you a super secret revelation that you may not know. There isn't really any difference with giving our money to private companies for insurance vs the government when it comes to the actual systems. One is just private with a profit motive and one is public with no profit motive. Why do you want to give people money for doing useless things? It is very inefficient. Now let's do the IRS and taxes. The IRS could easily do our taxes for "free", but you wouldn't like that, right? You like inefficiencies and want to give corporations money for unnecessary things. You sound like a bootlicker.
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