The Ivy League graduate accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has complained of debilitating back pain, “brain fog” and other symptoms in a series of Reddit posts leading up to last week's high-profile assassination. He reportedly detailed his health concerns.
Luigi Mangione, 26, wrote online that his lower back pain was a minor problem at first, but became noticeably worse after going surfing, causing him to slip on paper a few weeks later. The New York Times reported.
He reportedly said on Reddit that he felt a burning pain when he sat down, numbness in his bladder and groin, and cramps in his legs.
According to his Reddit, he was also dealing with Lyme disease and “brain fog,” which became more pronounced while attending the University of Pennsylvania. Post reported on CNN.
“It's such a cruel thing to have such a life-threatening problem…the people around you probably won't understand your symptoms, and certainly not me,” he wrote. It is reported that there are.
Additionally, he talked about getting tested for irritable bowel syndrome and mentioned his health insurance, saying he was covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, the New York Times reported.
He also encouraged others to undergo spinal fusion surgery in July 2023, claiming he was able to walk pain-free without medication.
“The surgery wasn't as scary as I had imagined in my head, and within a week I knew it was the right decision,” he wrote in the Times.
Mr. Mangione's book has come under intense scrutiny in the past 24 hours as authorities try to uncover a possible motive for Mr. Thompson's cold-blooded murder in midtown Manhattan last Wednesday.
The brazen murder has sparked outrage at the health insurance industry and outrageous praise for the suspected shooter, including a lookalike contest in the Big Apple over the weekend.
He returned to Hawaii after back surgery, but by this spring, he was no longer speaking to many of his friends and family, according to the Times.
Mr. Mangione also speaks in the community “Promoting Urban Travel with the Philosophy of Bringing Less,'' which discusses various travel gear, a subreddit focused on the gaming subculture, and as a member of a privileged family. I attended a festival in Maryland, where I grew up.
Pokémon Go was one of the games he discussed.
The Reddit account was wiped by the company, a step the company takes when it may be connected to a high-profile criminal investigation, a spokesperson told the Times.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania on Monday, charged with murder, and is currently being held in that state.
