Luigi Mangione Charged With Murder: Live Updates

Notes CNN:

Luigi Mangione has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, online court documents show.

The New York Times says it specifically mentions UnitedHealthcare, but not CEO Brian Thompson. It’s also an apparent confession:

The 262-word handwritten manifesto that the police found on Luigi Mangione begins with the writer appearing to take responsibility for the murder, according to a senior law enforcement official who saw the document. It notes that as UnitedHealthcare’s market capitalization has grown, American life expectancy has not. “To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” he wrote. The note condemns companies that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”

After he was transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections:

Photo: Handout/Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

According to Altoona Deputy Chief of Police Derek Swope, when officers spoke with Mangione at the McDonald’s on Monday morning, he had a very noticeable reaction when they asked him if he had recently traveled to New York City:

And that really invoked a physical reaction from the suspect. He became visibly nervous, kind of shaking at that question. And he didn’t really answer it directly.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said on Monday night that Mangione was in the state for several days. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the suspected shooter had moved between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with various stops — including Altoona — along the way.

Accounts which appeared to belong to the suspected shooter on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube were all removed by Monday evening.

Per the Associated Press, “A police criminal complaint charged him with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement.”

He was denied bond.

CNN reports that he’ll have a preliminary arraignment at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, at 6 p.m. Monday, per a state courts spokesperson.

As Andy Newman points out at the New York Times, it would depend on whether or not Mangione fought extradition:

If the New York authorities decide to charge Mangione, it could be a while before he is brought to New York. Mangione could fight the effort to extradite him. If that happened, a charging document in New York — such as a criminal court complaint or a grand jury indictment — could form the basis for a “governor’s warrant,” in which the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York would formally ask the office of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania to approve extradition.

As CNN notes, investigators will soon do tests to see if the evidence they already have has links to Mangione:

Law enforcement, often with the help of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), capture the bullet that is fired and the casing that gets ejected, he said. They then “essentially take it under a microscope and actually look for those unique patterns whenever the shell casing makes contact with that gun,” according to [CNN security correspondent Josh] Campbell. If those ballistics match, Campbell said it could be “very strong evidence.”

Police have also tested a fingerprint recovered from a purported burner phone thought to have belonged to the suspect and DNA recovered from a water bottle and energy bar wrapper he is said to have bought — but so far, neither have turned up any matches.

“They’re going to take DNA swabs from him, even if they need a search warrant to get that and then compare that to DNA recovered here,” according to CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller.

A company spokesperson has released a statement in response to the news of Mangione’s arrest:

Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.

My colleagues are assembling a comprehensive overview here.

Mangione’s list of follows on X is very young guy in tech circa 2024. He appears to be a fan of wellness and self-help gurus like Andrew Huberman, Tim Ferris, James Clear, and Ryan Holiday; he’s interested in but perhaps also worried about AI, following industry figures such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and a few AI influencers and sharing posts about superintelligence.

Pundit-wise, the mix skews a bit, but not much, toward people who might describe themselves as “heterodox” thinkers, or a decade ago as New Atheists or skeptics: We’ve got the Sam Harris podcast, Richard Dawkins, and Bret Weinstein; we’ve also got Scott Galloway, Jonathan Haidt, and the New York Times’ Ezra Klein. He brushes up against the manosphere: There are posts about declining birth rates, banning sex toys, and how Jordan Peterson should stop “overcomplicating” things. As for actual politicians, he follows RFK Jr., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and State Senator Stanley Chang of Hawaii (the X account tags Mangione’s location as Honolulu). He follows Joe Rogan, but also Steve-O from Jackass.

His strongest interest by far is in the work of Tim Urban, publisher of Wait But Why?, a writer and illustrator popular with tech types who publishes science explainers and cloying, slightly anti-woke political writing about how polarization is bad and rationalism can save the world. Any scrap of new information — a manifesto, an interview with friends, the active Reddit account implied by these follows — will grant retrospective meaning to at least part of this list of follows. As it stands, though, in this brief moment before we find out more, we’ve got a 20-something politically alienated tech professional who listens to the same podcasts as a lot of his peers. This isn’t obviously the account of a future killer. If anything, it’s closer to the young male swing voter we’ve recently been hearing so much about.

CNN reports:

Among the lines in the two-page document found on “strong person of interest” Luigi Mangione are the following two quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “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 says he acted alone and that he was self-funded.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters on Monday that the apparent ghost gun found on Mangione — which has not yet been confirmed as the gun used to kill Thompson — fired 9mm bullets and may have been manufactured using a 3-D printer. Ghost guns are self-assembled unregulated firearms made from parts sold online.

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke at a Monday-afternoon press conference with Mayor Adams where she confirmed much of what had already been leaked to multiple news organizations:

Earlier this morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, members of the Altoona Police Department arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old male, on firearms charges. At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, last Wednesday in midtown Manhattan. The suspect was in a McDonald’s and was recognized by an employee who then called local police. Responding officers questioned the suspect who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs as well as a U.S. passport.

Upon further investigation, officers recovered a firearm on his person, as well as a suppressor, both consistent with the weapon used in the murder. They also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by our wanted individual. Also recovered was a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching the ID our suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting incident. Additionally, officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mind-set.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny added:

As the commissioner stated earlier, a man was taken into custody today in Altoona, Pennsylvania, this morning. He has been identified as Luigi Nicholas Mangione. He’s a male, 26 years old. He was born and raised in Maryland. We know he has ties to San Francisco, California, and his last known address was Honolulu, Hawaii. He has no prior arrest history in New York.

Per the New York Times:

The man being questioned in Altoona in connection with the killing of Brian Thompson is Luigi Mangione, 26, according to three law enforcement officials. Mangione, who was detained in a McDonald’s this morning, was carrying identification with his name on it, along with fake I.D., one of the officials said. He has not been charged in connection with the shooting.

Altoona police apprehended the man on Monday morning, CNN reports:

Altoona police arrested a man “matching the description of the United Healthcare CEO murder suspect” on Monday morning, according to a news release from the Altoona Police Department. Altoona officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s restaurant at 9:14 a.m. ET, according to the news release. The department is “cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies” and says more information will be released this evening.

NBC New York reports that the names match:

Once at the police station, the sources said, officers discovered the man had a gun similar to the one used in Thompson’s killing, as well as a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID. The suspected gunman allegedly used a fake New Jersey ID when he checked into a Manhattan hostel last month.

Two senior law-enforcement officials say the man in Altoona being questioned had the name “Marc Rosario” on his fake NJ ID. Three sources familiar with the matter say the suspected gunman checked into the hostel using a fake NJ ID with the name “Marc Rosario.”

Per the New York Times:

The handwritten manifesto found on the person of the man detained in Altoona criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, according to a senior law enforcement official …

It appears he may have assembled the gun:

[He also] had what investigators believe was a ghost gun — meaning it was put together with parts sold online — that matches the gun believed to have been used in the shooting, a senior law enforcement official said.

The latest update from CNN has several important new details:

The man being questioned by police in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was picked up in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee thought he resembled the man in the NYPD’s photos and called the cops, multiple law-enforcement officials briefed on the situation tell CNN.

Altoona police responded to the call and picked up the man, who they say is 26 years old, and searched him. In the search, they found a gun with a suppressor — a device that muffles the sound of a firearm — like that used in the homicide and multiple fake IDs, including one that the NYPD believes was used by the suspect in New York City, the officials say.

The man is under arrest on charges in connection with the gun recovered by police, according to a law enforcement official.

The suspect was in possession of some documents that investigators also want to examine as potentially relating to motive, though further details on the documents were not clear.

Per multiple reports, a private funeral for the murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO will be held Monday in Minnesota.

According to the New York Times, the person of interest police took into custody arrived in Altoona via Greyhound bus, which is how the suspected shooter is believed to have left New York City. Also:

Law enforcement authorities have requested the passenger manifest of the Greyhound bus the man is thought to have taken to Altoona, to see if any names match any of the fake IDs that were being carried by the man detained in the McDonald’s, according to a senior law enforcement official.

According to multiple reports, police received a tip and then detained and are now questioning a person of interest in Altoona, Pennsylvania who was found in possession of both a gun or suppressor similar to the one investigators believe the killer used last week, as well as multiple fake IDs. Per NBC New York:

The sources say it is too soon to determine if his case is connected to the death of Brian Thompson, but they are investigating it as a potentially significant development. According to the sources, customers at a local McDonald’s thought he looked suspicious and called police. Arriving officers noticed a fake ID so took him in for questioning.

Once at the police station, the sources said, officers discovered the man had a gun similar to the one used in Thompson’s killing, as well as a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID. The suspected gunman allegedly used a fake New Jersey ID when he checked into a Manhattan hostel last month.

NYPD detectives are headed to the area to question the person and assist investigators, the sources said.