(NewsNation) — Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man first identified as the only person of interest in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to an online court docket.
Mangione was arrested Monday on forgery charges in Pennsylvania after questioning by authorities, according to a police briefing on Monday evening in the Keystone State.
His Monday arraignment saw his bail denied and a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 23.
In Pennsylvania, Mangione was charged with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, having “instruments of a crime,” tampering with records or information and false identification to law enforcement.
Mangione family releases statement
In a statement Monday night, the Mangione family addressed Luigi Mangione’s arrest:
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” the statement said. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
His alma mater, Baltimore’s Gilman School, sent an email about his arrest as well.
In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said the school “recently” learned that Mangione, a 2016 graduate, was arrested in the CEO’s killing.
“We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.”
Police, Gov. Josh Shapiro update on Luigi Mangione
A Monday night press conference in Altoona, Pennsylvania, provided more details about what led to Mangione’s arrest.
Shapiro said the person of interest traveled between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, making stops in between, including in Altoona. Authorities are still working through a timeline for his travel through the state and will not confirm the order of his stops.
Shapiro commended the Pennsylvanian who called in the tip and law enforcement who responded to the scene.
“[Mangione] is no hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.”
He said one of the primary Altoona officers on the scene has only been on the force for six months.
One of the responding officers recounted his interaction with Mangione, telling media that he and his partner recognized the person of interest “immediately” and calling him “very cooperative.”
“I can’t say I was expecting it. But it feels good to get a guy like that off the street,” the officer said.
The governor had just concluded a briefing with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch prior to the meeting.
“Presumably, New York will file charges very, very soon. … Justice will be delivered in this case,” Shapiro said.
Luigi Mangione initially named person of interest
Mangione, 26, was found in possession of a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used to check into a New York hostel, a firearm, suppressor and mask. The weapon was described as a “ghost gun” or firearm without a serial number, which may have been 3D printed.
He was sitting at a table in the rear of the McDonald’s wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to documents.
Pennsylvania police confirmed that a fellow McDonald’s customer recognized him and flagged a worker, who then called the police.
When asked by law enforcement why he lied about his identity, Mangione told officers, “I clearly shouldn’t have,” according to criminal complaints obtained by NewsNation.
Those same documents claim that when authorities asked Mangione whether he’d been to New York recently, he “began to shake and was quiet.”
Mangione has had no prior arrests, and police said they did not believe he was attempting to flee the country.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
A person by the same name attended a private high school in Baltimore, Maryland, where they were a wrestler and graduated as valedictorian.
A spokesperson with the University of Pennsylvania confirmed that Mangiano attended and graduated with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering.
NewsNation’s local affiliate, WPIX, confirmed that Mangione was employed as the head counselor for the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program in 2019.
What is Luigi Mangione’s ‘manifesto’?
Investigators said a three-page handwritten document was found that they described as a “manifesto.”
While they said they don’t believe there are specific threats to others in the document, they described it as showing “ill will” toward corporate America.
Authorities say it gives insight into the mindset of motives in what they described as a “targeted” killing.
A law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press said the document included a line in which Mangione claimed to act alone.
“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,” the document said, according to the official.
The AP reports it had a line that said, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”
UnitedHealthcare CEO killing
Thompson was killed while walking to the company’s annual investor meeting. Police say they believe the attack was targeted and not a random act of violence.
The words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” were written on the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, police sources said to NewsNation local affiliate WPIX.
The words appear to be a possible reference to a book titled “Delay, Deny, Defend,” which details the ways insurance companies use to reject requests for medical coverage deemed necessary by doctors.
UnitedHealthcare has the highest claim denial rate among insurance companies, rejecting 32% of submitted claims compared to the industry average of 16%.
Thompson, 50, was a father of two. He became CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 and helped the company bring in $281 billion in profits in 2023. Between salary and other benefits, he was estimated to have more than $10 million in compensation last year.
Earlier this year, Thompson was sued by the Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund for insider trading and fraud. Executives at United Healthcare were being investigated by the Department of Justice over allegedly running a monopoly and unfairly blocking out competitors.
The Department of Justice also launched an antitrust investigation into the UnitedHealthcare Group following a cyberattack on a subsidiary that handled health care payments. During the attack, many patients were forced to pay out of pocket for care and medications or were unable to get them because medical facilities were unable to process payments.
Search for the UnitedHealthcare CEO gunman
Police released surveillance photos of a person of interest they hoped to question, which showed an individual in a dark, hooded jacket with a backpack. The backpack was later located and found to contain Monopoly money.
Authorities said a McDonalds employee in Pennsylvania identified Mangione based on the photos, and responding officers noticed he was acting suspiciously.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.