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Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing charged with murder in New York, court records show

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 New York prosecutors filed a murder charge against the suspect in the killing of a UnitedHealth executive, a brazen shooting that set off a manhunt that culminated in his capture in Pennsylvania earlier on Monday.
The action brought an end to a tense five-day manhunt for the suspected killer.
The suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured in Altoona, Pennsylvania after he was spotted eating at a McDonald's by a customer and an employee who believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news conference.


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, one of the responding officers said at a press conference. He had been wearing a mask and sitting alone with a laptop and backpack.
A search of the backpack at the police station turned up a black "ghost gun" - a firearm assembled from parts, making it untraceable - loaded with a magazine and a silencer. Pennsylvania authorities said the weapon, as well as clothing and a mask, were similar to those used by the killer.


Mangione was led into the Blair County courthouse in Altoona for his arraignment on Monday night, where gun and forgery charges were read against him. The judge asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea was entered.
Prosecutors in New York brought a murder charge, along with four related gun charges, against Mangione, according to court records.
Pennsylvania prosecutors, citing false IDs and a large sum of cash that were found on Mangione, argued he was a flight risk and asked that bail be denied, which it was. Several electronic devices were also found with the suspect, and they were being examined by police.
Officers in Pennsylvania said at a press conference that they were working to determine if Mangione had any accomplices and if he intended to kill anyone else. They said he had been in Pennsylvania for several days and were investigating exactly where he was and what he did in the state.
Mangione, a Maryland native, had multiple fraudulent identifications, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting, officials said.
Police also found a handwritten document that speaks to "both his motivation and his mindset," New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said earlier on Monday.
While the document did not mention specific targets, Mangione harbored "ill will toward corporate America," said Joseph Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives.
Item 1 of 7 Luigi Mangione, 26, a suspect in the New York City killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, poses for a booking photograph at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Huntingdon in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 9, 2024. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections/Handout via REUTERS
[1/7]Luigi Mangione, 26, a suspect in the New York City killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, poses for a booking photograph at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Huntingdon in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 9, 2024. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights, opens a new tab
Mangione graduated from a private all-boys school in Baltimore as valedictorian in 2016 before earning dual engineering degrees in 2020 at the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League university, according to school records. His last known address was in Honolulu, officials said.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.

DENY DEFEND DEPOSE

Police said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted and were investigating whether others also may have been at risk.
The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were carved into shell casings found at the scene, several news outlets have reported. The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It."
A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Mangione identified him as a native of Towson, Maryland, and a former student at the University of Pennsylvania. Photos appear to show Mangione at Stanford University wearing Stanford-branded clothing.
An X account that appears owned by Mangione says he lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Thompson's murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical care - all trends that are rising, according to recent data.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, speaking at a press conference with prosecutors and police in Altoona, said he understood the frustrations that some Americans, angered by health insurance companies and their refusal to pay for some treatments, had expressed online since Thompson's killing. But he rejected the glorification of the suspect in some circles online.
"In America we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," Shapiro said.
Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealth Group's (UNH.N), opened a new tab insurance unit in April 2021, part of a 20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to attend the company's annual investor conference.
"Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy," a spokesperson for UnitedHealth said.

Killing of UnitedHealthcare exec ignites patient anger over insurance

  Jen Watson, a 41-year-old mother in Federal Way, Washington, has worked for years with her doctor to find the right medications to deal with her multiple chronic illnesses, which include epilepsy and fibromyalgia.

Her doctor had found some medications that could reduce Watson's nerve pain, but Watson says her UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plan refused to cover the drugs. And because of her pain, it has been hard for Watson to find work.
"I've been struggling to find work in part because I can't stand for more than 15 minutes and end up in serious pain very quickly because my symptoms aren't well managed," Watson told Reuters.
The killing last week of a powerful health insurance executive has ignited an outpouring of anger from Americans struggling to receive and pay for medical care.
The man suspected of killing Brian Thompson, chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, in a brazen shooting outside a midtown Manhattan hotel last week has been arrested, New York City officials said on Monday.
"It does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America," New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said of the suspect.
The attack called fresh attention to deepening frustrations over health coverage.
Recent data show that patients are now even more likely to have their claims denied, pay more for premiums and medical visits, and face unexpected costs for care they thought was covered by their health plan. Rising costs are attributed in part to consolidation of doctors' practices, hospitals and insurers.
UnitedHealthcare, part of the UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), opens new tab, is the largest manager of health benefits, followed by Cigna (CI.N), opens new tab and CVS Health (CVS.N), which opens a new tab.
"It's a very shocking event. But it's also an opportunity for people to vent about issues that have been of great concern to many people," said Tahneer Oksman, a professor at Marymount Manhattan College's communications department in New York.
Americans pay more for health care than any other country and over the past five years, spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket co-payments, pharmaceuticals, and hospital services has increased, government data shows.
Shares of UnitedHealth have nearly doubled over the last five years. During the week of the shooting, UnitedHealth shares fell by more than 10% through Friday.
UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna did not provide a comment for this story.
Insurance industry trade group AHIP said in an emailed statement that health plans, providers and drugmakers share responsibility to make care as affordable as possible and easier to navigate.
"Health plans are working to protect patients from the full impact of rising costs while connecting them to care that is safe, evidence-based, and coordinated,” the group said.
Insurers who manage health benefits and drug benefits say that they negotiate down prices of doctor visits, hospital stays, and costly medications. Most plans are sponsored by employers or government clients who foot part of the bill and have a say in what gets covered.
Kevin Gade, COO at investment firm Bahl & Gaynor, which owns about 2.6% of UnitedHealth shares, said companies like UnitedHealth play an important role in providing critical and needed care for all patients within an inefficient U.S. healthcare system that needs to evolve.
"Unfortunately, when you're dealing with people's lives, there is a reality that there will be hiccups along the way," he said.
Justine, 51, a UnitedHealthcare customer who works at a nonprofit in New York City, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and underwent a double mastectomy in 2018. She asked that her last name be withheld for privacy reasons.
A year after surgery, she developed lymphedema, in which fluid builds up in her arm that can lead to infections, and is treated by being fitted with custom-made compression sleeves.
Her employer-based insurance from UnitedHealthcare approved the sleeves, which cost $4,000 for a night sleeve, and several hundred dollars for a daytime sleeve replaced every three or four months.
But the company that made them said UnitedHealthcare failed to pay, citing various paperwork issues. "That continued for a long time," said Justine. "I kept feeling like, is this a run-out-the-clock situation?"
The Patient Advocate Foundation, a charity that provides patient claims aid and financial assistance, has found that cases have gotten much more difficult to resolve.
In 2018, a case manager would need to initiate on average 16 phone calls or emails to resolve a claim; now, it's 27, said Caitlin Donovan, the group's spokesperson.
"The American health insurance industry is becoming more complicated to navigate, negotiate, and try to appeal," Donovan said.

CLAIMS DENIALS RISE

The 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, set new baselines for who and what insurance plans must cover. As costs have risen, insurers increasingly turned to the prior authorization process, vetting requests for medical services before agreeing to pay.
Prior authorizations were deployed 46 million times in 2022, up from 37 million in 2019, a KFF analysis of privately managed Medicare Advantage plans for people aged 65 and older or who are disabled found. CVS denied 13% of such requests while Elevance's (ELV.N), opened a new tab Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield denied 4.2%. UnitedHealthcare denied 8.7%.
Only about 10% of patients appeal these denials, and of those challenges, about one-third fail, KFF said.
In an American Medical Association 2023 survey, 94% of physicians said prior authorization delayed care and 78% said it sometimes led to patients abandoning treatment. Nearly 1 in 4 reported it had resulted in a serious adverse event for patients and 95% reported it raised physician burnout.
Denials of health claims also increased, rising 31% in 2024 from 2022, according to a 2024 survey by credit firm Experian of 210 healthcare staff responsible for billing and reimbursement.
Patients who are denied claims appeals have few avenues of legal redress after the insurer’s own process. Federal law for employer-sponsored plans limits damages to the amount of a denied claim, which means few law firms are inclined to take such cases, said Sara Haviva Mark, a lawyer who specializes in representing people whose claims are denied.
In the KFF survey, 18% said their health plans did not pay for care they thought was covered in the prior 12 months.
Rachel Benzoni, a 37-year-old doctoral student in Omaha, Nebraska, said she has watched loved ones and friends struggle to navigate the healthcare system and has had issues receiving coverage under UnitedHealthcare for routine procedures including dental care.
"I recently paid nearly $1,000 to get periodontal work done, as United denied my entire claim," she said, adding that they did not give a reason for the denial beyond that the procedure was not covered.

Dave Franco found his doppelgänger.

On Monday, reports surfaced that a suspect in connection with the assassination of CEO Brian Thompson had been arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The person of interest wasn’t Franco but he does bear a resemblance, as many pointed out on social media.

Police detained Towson, Maryland native Luigi Mangione, who is reportedly 26 years old after he was spotted at a McDonald's. His mugshot was released by authorities not long after.

Additionally, a video of his apprehension circulated on the internet. Mangione was denied bail at his arraignment on gun and false identification charges in Blair County. A search by officers uncovered a black pistol, a 3-D-printed silencer, and a loaded Glock magazine with six 9mm rounds in his backpack.

The similarities between Franco and Mangione were not lost on the people of the World Wide Web, who took the chance to tease the Superbad actor. At one point, Franco was trending at No. 5 on X. Luigi Mangione was No. 1, McDonald was No. 3, Arrest was No. 8, and Free Him was No. 10.

A screenshot of trending topics on Twitter, including Luigi Mangione, Daniel Penny, McDonald, #PATRIOT, Dave Franco, Breloom, Sora, Arrest, and FREE HIM.

X

“Dave Franco pick up the phone,” one X user wrote, while another mentioned TV writer, producer, and director Ryan Murphy.

Murphy is known for his film adaptations and creating series based on real-life stories, including the shows Nip/Tuck and American Horror Story, and the Alec Baldwin-starring Running with Scissors and Julia Roberts-featuring Eat, Pray, Love.

“Somewhere ryan murphy’s ears perked up and his mouth started drooling. He has already picked up a pen and has texted netflix an idea,” another X user quipped.

barbie
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somewhere ryan murphy’s ears perked up and his mouth started drooling. he has already picked up a pen and has texted netflix an idea

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Person of interest in fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ID’d as Luigi Mangione.

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A separate X user also floated Michael Mann as a possible director and producer. Mann is behind the TV series Miami Vice, Johnny Depp’s Public Enemies, Adam Driver’s Ferrari, and more.

ozempic gandolfini
ozempic gandolfini
@IdahoBones
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some great set pieces in this story. 6am midtown. central park. mcdonalds in Central PA. please give it to Michael Mann.

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JUST IN: Police in Altoona, PA have detained a man for questioning in connection with UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder - ABC/NBC

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Thompson was murdered on Dec. 4 outside of a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione was reportedly arrested after authorities received a tip from a McDonald’s employee who recognized him. Among the other evidence stacked against him is a fake ID, which is believed to be the same one Mangione used at an NYC hostel. He was also allegedly found with a firearm, a silencer, and a handwritten manifesto.

Mangione was reportedly the valedictorian of his 2016 high school graduating class in Baltimore. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with both a Bachelor’s and a Master of Science in Engineering, Computer, and Information Science, completing the degrees simultaneously.

Who Is Luigi Mangione? What We Know About the Ivy League Grad Suspected of Shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside of a Manhattan hotel, police identified Luigi Mangione as the primary suspect.

On Dec. 9, Mangione, 26, was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., after an employee reported his suspicious behavior. Police allegedly found a gun resembling the one used by Thompson's shooter, a silencer, a fake New Jersey ID used to book a stay at an Upper West Side hostel and a three-page "manifesto" in the suspect's possession, police sources told PEOPLE.

Thompson was shot three times by a masked gunman early on Dec. 4 as he arrived at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The gunman fled on an electric Citi Bike and disappeared into Central Park, avoiding police and prompting a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Thompson was transported to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives reportedly found the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" on the shell casings found at the scene, police sources told ABC News. The words are similar to "Deny, delay, defend," a phrase about the insurance industry to describe a strategy for rejecting claims. However, a motive has yet to be established.

Here's everything to know about Luigi Mangione.

He was born and raised in Maryland

Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione. 

Luigi Mangione/X.com

According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, Mangione was born and raised in Maryland. Although his last known address was in Hawaii, he also has ties to San Francisco.

Mangione was a high school valedictorian

Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione. 

Luigi Mangione/Facebook

Mangione graduated as valedictorian from Gilman School, an all-boys independent institution in Baltimore, per his LinkedIn.

He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania

Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione. 

Luigi Mangione/Facebook

A spokesperson for the university confirmed to PEOPLE that Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering, computer, and information science.

Before starting his final year at the University of Pennsylvania, Mangione worked as an artificial intelligence teaching assistant at Stanford University in the summer of 2019.

He was a data engineer

According to Mangione's LinkedIn, he began working as a data engineer at TrueCar, Inc., an automotive retail website based out of Santa Monica, Calif., in November 2020. However, he has not been an employee of the company since 2023, a spokesperson for TrueCar told PEOPLE.

He is the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson ; Person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide of Brian Thompson.
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson; Person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide of Brian Thompson. 

United Health Group; New York Police Department/Facebook

On Dec. 9, Mangione was identified and detained as the primary suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson, which occurred five days earlier.

Thompson was arriving at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan just before 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 4 when a masked gunman shot him in the chest, in what police deemed a "targeted" attack.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference that day that the gunman had been "lying in wait for several minutes," before he shot Thompson at least three times. (The New York Times reported that the unidentified gunman had known which door the CEO was going to enter.)

The suspect then got on an electric Citi Bike and fled toward Central Park. With him on the loose for several days, police had been offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to his capture.

Mangione was detained while at McDonald's

UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson Suspect
United Healthcare CEO shooting suspect. 

New York Police Department/Facebook

Mangione was found on Dec. 9 in a McDonald's in Altoona, after an employee recognized him, per police.

He was allegedly found with a gun resembling the one used by Thompson's shooter, along with a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID that police claim he used to book a stay at an Upper West Side hostel where the shooter is believed to have stayed. The name the suspect used on his fake ID was Mark Rosario, according to the source.

He had a "manifesto" against healthcare companies with him

A law enforcement source told PEOPLE that Mangione had a three-page manifesto — which was critical of the healthcare insurance industry — on his person when he was detained.

During a Dec. 9 press conference, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said "Officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset."

This TikTok pitch makes us desperately wish that "Seinfeld" was still on the air.
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Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's (MCD.N), opens new tab after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth (UNH.N), opens new tab executive Brian Thompson 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 Luigi Mangione, 26, 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.
The policy says that review contributions "should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business" and that "content that has been posted from multiple accounts to manipulate a place's rating" will be removed.
"This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn't going to cover it," one review said.
The insurance executive's murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical care - all trends that are rising, according to recent data.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he got on a bus to flee the city. Police said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.
The suspect was arrested after a five-day manhunt.

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