Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, yelled at the press about “an insult to the intelligence of the American people” as he was physically dragged into a Pennsylvania courthouse on Tuesday.
Mangione, 26, is scheduled to appear at an extradition hearing in connection with Thompson’s slaying on Dec. 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
Mangione “appeared to view the targeted killing … as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and ‘power play,'” according to a confidential assessment of the crime by the NYPD’s intelligence bureau described to ABC News. Mangione reportedly described himself as the “first to meet ‘United Healthcare’ with such brutal honesty.”
The booking photo of Luigi Mangione, on Dec. 10, 2024, at the Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Huntingdon County, Pa.
Huntingdon State Correctional Institution
The assessment is based, among other things, on the suspect’s handwriting.
When Mangione was arrested Monday, he had “written confessions about the crime” with him, according to the New York warrant.
Mangione had several handwritten pages on him that expressed a “contempt for corporate America” and indicated that “he is frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” NYPD Detective Chief Joe Kenny told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
Luigi Mangione is seen inside the police station in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 9, 2024.
Obtained by ABC News
“Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet life expectancy for an American is ranked 42nd in the world,” Kenny said.
Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, but the writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “I apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
UnitedHealth Group via AP
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 slaying.
The NYPD was “thrilled” to get the call from Altoona police that they had a person of interest in custody, Tisch told “GMA.”
Kenny said the “key to this case” was releasing images of the suspect’s face to the media and the public.
The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying this person wanted for questioning in the midtown Manhattan murder of a CEO on December 4, 2024.
NYPD
“That image reached Pennsylvania,” where Mangione was recognized at a McDonald’s Monday morning, Kenny said.
“We are grateful as a city for that person,” Tisch said.
Luigi Mangione is seen eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. on Dec. 9, 2024, in a photo released by the Pennsylvania State Police.
Pennsylvania State Police
Police officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s Restaurant for reports of a man matching the description of the United Healthcare CEO murder suspect, in Altoona, Pa., Dec. 9, 2024.
WJAC
“Early in the investigation we had collected some forensic evidence, some DNA evidence, some fingerprints, so we were very confident that we would eventually get to the right person,” Tisch added.
“We have a lot of evidence in this case,” Tisch told “GMA.”
Mangione was apprehended “in possession of the same false identification from New Jersey that was used” to check into a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side before Thompson was gunned down, she said.
An image of the fake ID used by the Midtown Manhattan shooting suspect to check into an Upper West Side hostel.
ABC News
The gun Mangione was allegedly found carrying Monday “is very similar” to the gun used in the killing, “with a similar suppressor,” Tisch said. “So there are many reasons why we feel very strongly that he is the person of interest.”
Officers allegedly found a 3D-printed gun and a 3D-printed silencer, according to the criminal complaint filed in Pennsylvania.
“The pistol had a loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jack cartridges. There was also a loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” the complaint said.
This is a photo of the ghost gun recovered from Luigi Mangione in Altoona, PA, police sources tell ABC News.
Obtained by ABC News
Kenny described the weapon as a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and could not be traced.
Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was charged with five felonies in Pennsylvania, including carrying a handgun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possession of “instruments of crime,” according to the criminal complaint.
Mangione’s family said in a statement that they are “shocked and heartbroken by Luigi’s arrest. Our prayers go out to Brian Thompson’s family and we ask people to pray for everyone involved.”
Booking photo of Luigi Mangione after he was arrested by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 9, 2024.
PA Department of Correctional Services
Pennsylvania State Police are asking for the public’s help in piecing together Mangione’s travel in Pennsylvania. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-4PA-TIPS.
Police are also looking into Mangione’s travel to various locations in the United States and out of the county within the past year, sources said.
This is a development story. Please check back for updates.
