New details revealed: "CEO killer" shoots insurance boss on the street

New York (USA) - Following the shocking murder of company boss Brian Thompson (50), the suspected shooter has been arrested. Now new details about the "CEO killer" have emerged.

Luigi Mangione (26) is urgently suspected of having shot the company boss.
Luigi Mangione (26) is urgently suspected of having shot the company boss.  © ----/Pennsylvania Department of Corrections/AP/dpa

He comes from a wealthy family of entrepreneurs. He graduated from an elite university with flying colors. But then Luigi Mangione (26) decided to murder a man.

When insurance boss Brian Thompson was shot dead on the street in New York last week, the police were initially baffled.

On Monday, Luigi Mangione was arrested as an urgent suspect. In addition to forged IDs, a homemade firearm - a so-called ghost gun -, ammunition and plenty of cash, the "CEO killer" also had a manifesto with him. He has been in prison ever since.

The investigators suspect: Mangione wanted to make an example of the insurance boss, whom he did not know personally. He is said to have felt anger at the US healthcare system, which he accused of greed and "mafia-like" structures.

Why did Luigi Mangione become a murderer?

Luigi Mangione (26) was described by many as a "brilliant" but "inconspicuous" young man.
Luigi Mangione (26) was described by many as a "brilliant" but "inconspicuous" young man.  © Montage: X/Luigi Mangione

Luigi Mangione graduated with a degree in computer and information science from the elite University of Pennsylvania in 2020, reports CBS. He then worked as a data engineer for the car sales platform TrueCar.

Friends and former colleagues describe the now 26-year-old as "brilliant" but "unremarkable".

In 2023, Mangione moved to Hawaii, where he lived as a dropout in a surfer commune. It was there that he is said to have complained of severe back pain for the first time, reports the BBC. His political views also apparently became more extreme during this time.

According to theNew York Post, Luigi Mangione comes from a respected and wealthy family from Baltimore (Maryland). The family includes politicians, entrepreneurs and scientists.

Family patriarch Nick Mangione, the son of Italian immigrants, lived the American dream, built up a company empire from nothing, invested in real estate and later also in nursing homes.

The healthcare sector is particularly close to the family's heart: the Mangiones donated millions to support ailing hospitals in Baltimore and the surrounding area.

"We only know what we've read in the media," said Nino Mangione, a member of parliament in Maryland and cousin of the suspect, in a statement on Facebook. We are praying for the family of Brian Thompson.

A police officer at the crime scene: 58th Street in Manhattan.
A police officer at the crime scene: 58th Street in Manhattan.  © Stefan Jeremiah/AP/dpa
The New York police used these pictures to search for the killer.
The New York police used these pictures to search for the killer.  © Montage: New York City Police Department/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa, HOGP/New York Police Department/AP/dpa
The 26-year-old was brought before the magistrate on Tuesday. He appeared aggressive.
The 26-year-old was brought before the magistrate on Tuesday. He appeared aggressive.  © Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP/dpa

Brian Thompson was shot dead in the street

Brian Thompson (†50) was the CEO of the largest US health insurer United Healtcare. He leaves behind a grieving wife and two children.
Brian Thompson (†50) was the CEO of the largest US health insurer United Healtcare. He leaves behind a grieving wife and two children.  © United Health Group

Flashback: On the morning of December 4, the killer ambushed the CEO of health insurer United Healthcare in the middle of Manhattan, shooting him several times in the back with a silenced pistol on the open street.

He then fled the scene on a bicycle and escaped undetected. What followed was a public manhunt for Mangione that lasted for days.

At the crime scene, investigators found bullet casings with the words "deny", "defend" and "depose" written on them. A frequently criticized tactic of US insurance companies.

Six days later, Mangione was arrested in a McDonald's in the US state of Pennsylvania. The 26-year-old appeared aggressive and shouted crude slogans as he went to the magistrate. Release on bail was ruled out.

Incomprehensible: a bizarre cult has since developed around the "CEO killer". Quite a few people see the alleged murderer as a modern-day Robin Hood and condone the murder of the father of two, Brian Thompson.