Luigi Mangione case timeline, from UnitedHealthcare CEO killing to court dates

(NewsNation) — Luigi Mangione has made a pretrial push for key evidence to be thrown out in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down in New York City in 2024.

According to police, the shooting was planned, and Mangione came to Manhattan from Pennsylvania to conduct it.

As Mangione is awaiting several trials to begin, here’s a detailed breakdown of the case:

What happened before UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed?

According to the indictment from December, Mangione, 26, arrived in New York City by bus on Nov. 24, 2024. He allegedly checked into the HI New York City Hostel using a fake ID under the name “Mark Rosario” and reportedly extended his stay multiple times.

Investigators said Mangione left his hotel on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, and traveled to Midtown Manhattan on an e-bike. The indictment claimed Mangione stopped at a Starbucks at around 6:15 a.m. to purchase a water bottle and granola bars.

Between 6:38 a.m. and 6:44 a.m., Mangione was seen standing silently against a wall across from the Hilton, fully masked and wearing a hood, according to the indictment.

UnitedHealthcare CEO killed on streets of NYC

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the back and the leg by a masked gunman just before 7 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2024, in front of a Hilton Hotel in New York City, according to officials. Thompson was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police said a suspect had been waiting for Thompson to arrive at the hotel for an investor’s meeting. At the time, the New York Police Department was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. The FBI also offered a $50,000 reward at the time.

This was a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. The suspect waited behind a parked car until Thompson passed and opened fire. He then ran through an alley, hopped on a bike, and rode through Central Park, according to officials.

On the day of the shooting, UnitedHealth Group released a statement, reading in part, “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.” Thompson had become CEO of the company in 2021 but had been with UnitedHealth Group since 2004. Before becoming CEO, he had led government programs for UnitedHealthcare, including Medicare.

Luigi Mangione arrested in Pennsylvania

After days of searching, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on separate weapon charges. New York prosecutors then filed a second-degree murder charge a few hours after his arrest.

The arrest was made after a customer alerted a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that Mangione was in the restaurant. That employee then called the police.

Luigi Mangione denied bail

A judge denied bail for Mangione in December as his attorneys worked to contest efforts to extradite him from Pennsylvania to New York. The state of Pennsylvania was pursuing a governor’s warrant to transfer him.

As Mangione was escorted into a Pennsylvania courthouse, he shouted to reporters, “It’s completely an injustice and an insult to the American people.”

On Dec. 19, Mangione was extradited back to New York City after he agreed during a hearing.

Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

On Dec. 23, Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges. The district attorney in Manhattan charged Mangione with several crimes, including:

• Stalking — Travel in interstate commerce
• Stalking — Use of interstate facilities
• Murder through use of a firearm
• Firearms offense

Federal prosecutors also brought their own charges in New York’s state trial court. Those charges could come with the death penalty if Mangione is found guilty. The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Luigi Mangione’s alleged manifesto revealed

Mangione, who had no prior criminal record, is accused of writing a manifesto that is two to three pages long and talks about the health insurance industry. According to police, some quotes include:

• “Frankly, these parasites had it coming.”
• “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done.”
• “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.”

According to NewsNation local affiliate WPIX, the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” were written on the shell casings found at the scene. UnitedHealthcare had the highest claim denial rate among insurance companies as of December 2024. The company rejects 32% of submitted claims compared to the industry average of 16%.

The manifesto was released by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on June 5 and showed insight into the suspect’s thought process leading up to the killing. One entry reads as follows:

“So, say you want to rebel against the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel. Do you bomb the HQ? No. Bombs = terrorism.”

New York judge drops Luigi Mangione terrorism charges

A judge dismissed the New York state terrorism charges against Mangione in September.

“While there is no doubt that the crime at issue here is not ordinary ‘street crime,’ it does
not follow that all non-street crimes were meant to be included within the reach of the terrorism
statute,” Judge Gregory Carro wrote in his ruling.

Luigi Mangione reportedly wanted to ‘prove a political point’

Mangione reportedly revealed he wanted to kill Thompson to “prove a political point about the health insurance industry” and its practices, which he characterized as “(extracting) human life force for money.” He had also allegedly planned a bombing to generate headlines.

At the time of his arrest, court documents showed Mangione was carrying guns, a silencer, a knife, a phone charger, a wallet, chrome drill bits, duct tape, a passport, zip ties, headphones, a memory device and toiletries.

In October, Mangione’s team accused the Trump administration of making him a political pawn.

“Mr. Mangione has been treated unjustly as part of a coordinated ongoing campaign by the United States government to paint him as a terrorist and violent leftwing extremist, despite there being absolutely no evidence to support these assertions,” his attorneys wrote to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett.

In September, Garnett issued a warning to the DOJ, saying that “multiple employees” at the DOJ could have broken Local Criminal Rule 23.1, a federal rule, by speaking publicly about Mangione’s case.

Luigi Mangione attempts to get key evidence scrapped

In December, Mangione and his defense team appeared in court for pretrial hearings seeking to have key evidence thrown out in the state case.

His lawyers sought to block the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office from showing or telling jurors about items seized when Mangione was arrested, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook with potentially incriminating entries.

Those items, the defense argued, were discovered during officers’ search of Mangione’s backpack without a warrant.

The defense also worked to get some of Mangione’s police statements — including one in which he allegedly provided a fake name to arresting officers — thrown out. Mangione’s lawyers said he spoke before police read him his rights.

Mangione was likely to try to have the same evidence dropped in the federal case against him. The next federal hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2026.

Reactions to Luigi Mangione’s arrest, Brian Thompson’s killing

When word of Mangione’s arrest spread, many on social media voiced their support.

Cliff Lampe, professor of information and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Information at the University of Michigan, told Forbes, “It’s hard to interpret for every individual what these memes mean to them, but in general they seem to represent a frustration with perceived inequities in the health care system and to some extent a much broader discontent with growing wealth inequality.”

A fundraiser set up for Mangione’s legal defense has topped $1 million. Many of those who made larger donations did so anonymously.

In a statement on his website, Mangione said, “I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe.”

NewsNation’s Anna Kutz and Diana Falzone contributed to this report.