The suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a former private school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate, may have been triggered by his age and Obamacare provisions, according to a former investigator. It is said that there is a sex.
Mr. Thompson, 50, was shot in the back on December 4 on the sidewalk outside the Hilton Hotel in New York City before a shareholder meeting. Luigi Nicolas Mangione, 26, was taken into custody Monday at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt for Thompson's killer.
“He's 26 years old, which is the age when his family's insurance claims are waived,” former FBI agent Scott Duffy told Fox News Digital. “Did he have adequate insurance or not? That's what I ask as an investigator.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, requires health plans to provide coverage for dependent children so that adult children have coverage until they reach age 26. .
Photo of United Healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione released
Luigi Mangione appears in a Pennsylvania mugshot after being arrested in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“I don't know if he has any regrets,” Duffy added. “I feel like what happened in his life happened relatively quickly…He made a conscious decision to go down this path.”
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney said Mangione may have sustained a lower back injury on July 4, 2023.
“He was posting X-rays on social media, and some of the things he wrote were talking about how difficult it was to continue with that injury,” Kenney told Fox News on Tuesday. “As a result, we are investigating whether the insurance industry denied his claim or failed to provide maximum assistance.”
Duffy said he wondered when Mangione had the “tipping point” that led to his downfall, adding: “I wonder if it was when he had some sort of physical illness and maybe was on medication… People I wonder if it was when I realized how much I was suffering and then fell into this guilt journey…” “Do we have to change the world?” Or has he suffered some kind of psychological damage? ”
Luigi Mangione silent as he is escorted from PA court
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/United Health Group)
Mr. Mangione was arrested after McDonald's customers and employees spotted him and thought he matched the suspect on the wanted poster.
“I was shocked how someone who seemed so smart could make such a stupid mistake. He got caught because of a good whistleblower…and that's all it took…I was shocked by this. '' Duffy said. “So he was so arrogant that he couldn't see what was in front of him? 'How are we going to get out of this situation? Let me use a little bit of my ingenuity.'”
“If he had been in New York City or Philadelphia or some other big city, I think he would have remained unknown. But he went to Altoona… From what I gather, it's a hometown feel. “Obviously he wasn't a good fit,” the retired agent added. “And some people say, 'You're not from here.'”
Prosecutors said the 26-year-old man was found with $8,000 in U.S. cash, $2,000 in foreign currency, a mask and a passport.
“I don't think he's finished what he wanted to do,” Duffy added. “He definitely made a name for himself… whether it was just revenge or whatever, he felt he owed it to society.”
United Healthcare CEO murder suspect riots outside Pennsylvania courthouse
CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione screams while being restrained by police as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, December 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado, Fox News Digital)
Mr. Mangione was indicted. Charges for Thompson's murder include second-degree murder, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, according to a New York state felony arrest warrant.
Details about the murder suspect's background have emerged, showing that he had a seemingly exemplary education.
Mangione graduated at the top of his class from Gilman High School, an elite high school in Baltimore, where he gave the commencement speech.
According to his yearbook obtained by SNWS, his classmates at a private high school once described him as having the best pick-up line.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering and was a member of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“He seemed to have great social qualities…People close to him say he was an all-around guy,” Duffy said. “I watched his valedictorian speech… A high school senior who seemed to be well-spoken, well-thinking…with high ambitions, and had a great sense of humor…he seemed to be everything. ”
“Then when you look at the moment he was approached by law enforcement, there were so many things that went wrong.”
United Healthcare CEO Murder Suspect Luigi Mangione Live Blog
CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione screams while being restrained by police as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, December 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado, Fox News Digital)
When officers approached Mangione before his arrest, he was wearing a medical mask, provided false identification and gave a false name, according to court documents. When police asked him if he had been to New York recently, Mangione “became quiet and started shaking.”
When he was taken into custody, four fake identification documents, a gun and silencer similar to the one used in the shooting, and a handwritten manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry were found on his person.
Kenney said Mangione specifically mentioned UnitedHealthcare in his manifesto.
Mr Duffy explained how the alleged killer's engineering studies may have played a role in planning the attack and eventual capture.
“Regardless of what kind of engineering you're in, your mind is connected and you have to see the big picture. You have to understand both on paper and, of course, execute the plan,” he says. said.
“Engineering brains…are good at putting puzzles together,” Duffy added. ”But what I always say, whenever we talk about criminals, is that they are very good at having pre-plans rather than exit strategies. And ultimately, that is their demise. ”
Who is Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO?
A panoramic view of Gilman School on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Luigi Mangione, who was arrested in Pennsylvania on suspicion of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, graduated from the school in 2016. (Derek Schock, FOX News Digital)
Luigi Mangione in a Facebook photo. Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning in connection with the ambush and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. (Luigi Mangione/Facebook)
Mangione is social media site Goodreads, And he wrote a review of a book by infamous Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In his review, Mangione wrote, “It is easy to quickly and thoughtlessly dismiss this as a madman's manifesto in order to avoid confronting the unpleasant issues identified in this work.” “But it is simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society have turned out to be.”
Duffy said he believes Mangione “did his homework” in choosing the Unabomber in particular.
“I don't think this is a coincidence of every serial killer out there, every individual who has a manifesto…He aligns himself with Ted Kaczynski,” Duffy said. “Kaczynski was arrogant in the sense that other people couldn't see what I saw about society.”
New York City Police Department official says people can rest now that CEO murder suspect has been arrested
Surveillance footage released by the New York City Police Department shows a suspect wanted in the shooting death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department)
Mangione will fight extradition to New York, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has vowed to bring the murder suspect to New York City as soon as possible to face justice.
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“Profilers talk about what excites people and drives them to do the things they do,” Duffy said.
“Eventually you end up idealizing it and turning it into a fantasy. And that fantasy just controls your everyday thoughts, and eventually… you perform the act you fantasized about. Put it away.”
FOX News' Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
