From Ivy League grad to murder suspect: What we know about Luigi Mangione

This is a story that has gripped America. Pride of his Maryland prep school, valedictorian, a brilliant Penn graduate with a master's in engineering, and a scion of a wealthy family, to an alleged killer of a top corporate honcho — it reads like a Hollywood potboiler.

The 26-year-old, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, left a trail of online posts that railed against corporate America.

A cryptic X-ray banner, incendiary reviews, and haunting warnings about modern technology all point to a man whose brilliance spiralled into a dark obsession.

Mangione's execution-style murder of Thompson captured on CCTV sent shockwaves through corporate America and Mangione's well-heeled Baltimore community.

After murdering Thompson, he vanished into the shadows with the NYPD in relentless pursuit, igniting a nationwide manhunt, and a non-stop media storm that had America's full attention.

At the time of his arrest in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Mangione carried multiple fake IDs, a 3D-printed gun with a suppressor, and a notebook that investigators say may hold clues to his motive.

From prodigy to pariah

Born into a prominent and wealthy Baltimore family, Mangione was raised in a world of privilege. His grandparents were respected real estate developers who owned two of Maryland's most exclusive country clubs.

Mangione went to the posh all-boys Gilman School, where tuition tops $35,000 a year, and stood out even among the elite, graduating as valedictorian in 2016.

"He had absolutely everything going for him," recalled a former classmate.

And the question that has perplexed both commentators and the public alike is this — how could someone blessed with such privilege, wealth, looks, and limitless potential, descend to the point of executing such a heinous act?

With a master’s degree in computer science from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as UPenn), Mangione founded a video game development club and interned at Firaxis Games, the studio behind Civilization.

A friend from UPenn described him as “super normal,” the kind of guy you'd never expect to be at the centre of a crime story.

At the university, alma mater to figures like Elon Musk, Noam Chomsky, and Warren Buffet, Mangione earned a reputation as a wunderkind. He was sophisticated and dapper. Yet, under this brilliant exterior, subtle signs of inner turmoil emerged.

After a stint in Hawaii, where he lived in a co-living surf community, Mangione returned to the mainland complaining of chronic back pain that had worsened with surfing and hiking. Friends say he became increasingly withdrawn in the months leading up to his arrest.

Manifesto of Discontent

When Mangione was arrested, authorities found a three-page, handwritten note in his possession. The document expressed seething anger toward corporate America, with statements like, "These parasites had it coming" and a haunting apology: “I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

At the crime scene, shell casings bore the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose”— a grim echo of tactics health insurance companies are accused of using to deny claims.

While police have not confirmed Mangione's personal experience with the healthcare system as a motive, those who knew him say his frustrations seemed to deepen after his back surgery.

Online, Mangione’s digital footprint tells a story of disillusionment. His Goodreads profile includes a review of Industrial Society and Its Future by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Mangione called the manifesto “prescient,” praising its critique of technology and modern society.

On X, he shared posts critical of artificial intelligence, commercial agriculture, and the impact of smartphones on children.

Massive public attention

For the Mangione family, the news has been devastating. His cousin, Maryland Republican lawmaker Nino Mangione, released a statement calling the situation “shocking and heartbreaking.”

Classmates from both Gilman and Penn expressed utter disbelief, struggling to reconcile the charming boy they knew with the one described by the police.

“Quite honestly, he didn’t have any enemies,” said a former friend. But another person who lived with Mangione in Hawaii said he had grown increasingly isolated. An October post on X tagged his account with a concerned message: "Hey, are you ok?"

Within hours of Mangione being charged with the murder of Thompson on Monday, online stores erupted with a bizarre outpouring of merchandise celebrating him — T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers emblazoned with slogans such as: “In this house, Luigi Mangione is a hero. End of story."

X initially shut down Maglione’s account, but after CEO Elon Musk said he was "looking into it" the account was promptly restored.