• By Nidhi Giri
  • Tue, 10 Dec 2024 12:22 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate who is a "strong person of interest" in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was reportedly possessing a manifesto criticizing "corporate America" at the time of his arrest. The handwritten document, which consists of two-pages, condemned the healthcare industry for putting profits above care and suggested that violence is the answer, according to senior law enforcement officials.

"I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done," a police official who has seen the document told CNN.

In the note, Mangione said he acted alone and that he was self-funded. "These parasites had it coming," it added.

The document also included a screed against the healthcare industry, with Mangione asking why the United States has the most expensive healthcare in the world but is rated poorly for life expectancy.

The US reportedly ranked 49 in life expectancy in 2022, per a report by the Associated Press story from August 2007. However, the country is expected to drop to 66th position globally in 2050, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

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While the motive of Thompson's killing is still unknown, reports suggest Mangione's alleged actions could have been a political act. If Mangione is found guilty of Thompson's murder, the manifesto would be the second message from him. Earlier, it was found that the killer engraved 'Deny, defend, depose' on the casings of the bullet used in the UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing.

Luigi Mangione's Arrest

In addition to the manifesto, Mangione was also found carrying a gun, and a silencer, among other items at the time of his arrest in an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald's. He has been charged with possession of an illegal weapon, forgery and other crimes in Pennsylvania after being arrested at a McDonald's on Monday morning.

Mangione was caught after an employee at the fast-food chain recognized him and alerted the police. "He was sitting there eating," The Guardian reported Joseph Kenny, the New York City police department's chief of detectives as saying.

He was reportedly found carrying identification with his name on it, along with a fake New Jersey ID - the same that police believe the gunman showed when he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on 24 November after Thompson's murder.

In last Wednesday's shooting, the gunman walked up behind Brian Thompson, a senior executive at UnitedHealthcare -- one of the country's largest medical insurers -- and shot him dead in front of bystanders. The attack was captured by a surveillance camera and the footage seen by millions around the world as interest in the manhunt and mystery over the killer's motives built to a frenzy.

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After his arrest, Mangione was presented at Pennsylvania court on Tuesday, where he was arraigned. He is next due to appear in court on December 23.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said that murder charges in New York state would follow, telling a media briefing "We do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint."