Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League graduate accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was never a client of the medical insurance company, a senior NYPD official said on Thursday. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC that Mangione likely targeted Thompson because of UnitedHealthcare's size and influence in the healthcare industry.
Kenny also revealed that investigators found evidence indicating Mangione knew about UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference, which was taking place at a Manhattan hotel on the same day he launched the deadly attack on the company's CEO. When Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania on Monday, authorities also found a note resembling a manifesto in his possession.
No Connection With Medical Insurance Giant
The note reportedly mentioned UnitedHealthcare and accused health insurance companies of engaging in corporate greed, according to sources cited by The New York Post. "We have no indication that he was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America," Kenny told the outlet.
"So that's possibly why he targeted that company."
Mangione, 26, allegedly shot and killed Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO, as he was walking to the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, where UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare's parent company, was hosting its annual investor conference on December 4.
The University of Pennsylvania graduate evaded authorities for five days before being arrested at a fast-food restaurant. His capture came after a McDonald's employee recognized him and alerted the police.
Police found a two-and-a-half-page manifesto in Mangione's backpack addressed to "the Feds," along with a 3D-printed pistol, a 3D-printed silencer, a loaded Glock magazine, and several fake IDs.
Investigators reported that ballistics testing linked the untraceable ghost gun to shell casings recovered at the crime scene. Additionally, Mangione's fingerprints were found on a water bottle and a granola bar wrapper near the site of the shooting.
Motive Still Unclear
Mangione is now facing murder charges and is being held at the State Correctional Institution in Huntington, Pennsylvania, after being denied bail by a judge earlier this week.
This came as cops said on Wednesday that they were investigating whether Mangione's back injury might have been the suspected motive behind the murder of Thompson.
Police said they are investigating a July accident that left Mangione hospitalized and if it may have sparked his alleged grudge against the healthcare industry.
Earlier, one of his former roommates had shared that the 26-year-old suffered a severe back injury that left him unable to have sex.
The roommate, RJ Martin, who shared a co-living space in Hawaii with Mangione for six months, revealed to The New York Times that Mangione's back condition, known as spondylolisthesis, was severely aggravated by a surfing accident.
