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Luigi Mangione latest: Gun found on suspected killer matches casings found at United CEO’s murder, cops say

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect is fighting extradition to New York where he faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to Brian Thompson’s death

James Liddell,Kelly Rissman
Thursday 12 December 2024 08:22 GMT
Luigi Mangione struggles against officers as he’s taken to court

The gun seized during Luigi Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania this week matches the shell casings found at the scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder, police say.

Fingerprints taken from Mangione also match prints on a water bottle and protein bar wrapper found near the scene of the Midtown homicide, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced at a press conference Wednesday.

The lab results mark the first forensic tie between Mangione and the crime scene.

The discoveries come after Mangione’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told reporters that he hasn’t “seen any evidence that he’s the shooter.” His client faced an extradition hearing Tuesday in Pennsylvania after New York prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in connection with last week’s brazen killing in Midtown Manhattan.

“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” Mangione yelled as he was escorted in handcuffs into the Blair County Courthouse. The 26-year-old was denied bail and will remain in a Pennsylvania jail while he fights extradition to New York.

Authorities are also investigating Mangione’s notebook that laid out his plot to “wack” Thompson at his “parasitic bean-counter convention,” according to The New York Times.

Congressman calls for ban of 3D-printed ghost guns

Senator Ed Markey has called for the ban of 3D-printed ghost guns, similar to the weapon found on shooting suspect Luigi Mangione and the one used in the killing of Brian Thompson.

The Massachusetts lawmaker proposed the passing of the “3D Printed Gun Safety Act” to stop the “proliferation of these dangerous guns”.

“3D printed ghost guns are untraceable homemade weapons that can evade metal detectors. We must pass my 3D Printed Gun Safety Act and stop the proliferation of these dangerous guns,” the Democrat wrote on X on Wednesday.

The weapon carried by Mangione upon his arrest on Monday, which police believe to be 3D printed, matches there shell casings at the crime scene in Midtown Manhattan last Wednesday, according to NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch.

James Liddell12 December 2024 08:22

Comment: The dark truth behind our reaction to Luigi Mangion’s arrest

Set with the task of tracking down a fugitive from the law, you can guarantee social media will track them down in record time – even if the only thing to go by is a small, three-inch gap between a mask and a hood. As was the case with the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

The NYPD released a set of images taken in the back of a taxi on Sunday, and within less than 24 hours, the internet had gleaned from the dark, bushy eyebrows alone that it was 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a Baltimore-born graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, who comes from a prominent family.

But once found, the circus didn’t stop there. As well as identifying the suspect, social media sleuths tracked down his LinkedIn, Twitter – even his Goodreads – profiles. And just as fast came the memes, objectification and reactionary vlogs.

First, BookTok began analysing his taste in literature, questioning whether Harry Potter and the Hunger Games books “radicalised” him (in all seriousness, he did review the Unabomber’s manifesto, calling Ted Kaczynski “an extreme political revolutionary”).

Emma Clarke’s analysis in full is below.

Luigi Mangione and the dark truth behind our reaction to arrest of ‘hot assassin’

Yes, internet sleuths helped police track down the suspect in the Brian Thompson case – but the reaction online since then has been less useful than it has salacious, writes Emma Clarke

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 07:57

Bizarre crypto ‘meme coins’ celebrate Luigi Mangione

Cryptocurrency enthusiasts are spending millions of dollars trading “meme coins” themed around Luigi Mangione’s alleged fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.

Many of the coins listed on crypto sites like pump.fun sport supportive names including “Free Luigi Mangione” and “Justice for Luigi Mangione.”

One such coin, simply named Luigi, launched on Monday, the same day Mangione was charged with murder in New York. It briefly achieved a market capitalization of more than $76 million dollars.

“When someone outside the crypto-bubble ... encounters headlines like this, they view it as absolutely insanity,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin told Newsweek of the phenomenon.

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 07:02

How Luigi Mangione ‘went missing’ after back surgery

The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson went missing and cut off contact with family and friends last month after undergoing back surgery, it has emerged.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged with murder over the “targeted” shooting of the healthcare executive in Manhattan on December 4.

While the motive for the attack is still under investigation, new details are emerging about Mangione’s own health issues – and the impact they appear to have had on his life.

The Ivy League college graduate suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain and underwent major surgery for it in 2023, a friend told The New York Times.

James Liddell reports.

Luigi Mangione ‘went missing’ after back surgery, friends reveal

Luigi Mangione said in a note shared online that he was suffering from the back condition spondylolisthesis

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 06:05

Everything we know about the UnitedHealthcare CEO and his murder in New York City

Brian Thompson was laid to rest at a private funeral service in his Minnesota hometown on Monday.

That same day, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with murder in connection to the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s death.

The 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody in Altoona and is now being held without bond in Pennsylvania as he faces charges in two states. Mangione appeared for a hearing on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where he fought extradition to New York to face charges.

Ten days before the exec was shot dead outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, the suspected shooter was believed to have traveled to New York City on a Greyhound bus. Five days after the shooting, Mangione was in handcuffs.

Here’s everything we know so far in the build up and aftermath of the fatal attack on the 50-year-old insurance CEO:

Who is Brian Thompson – the slain CEO of UnitedHealthcare?

Luigi Mangione allegedly kept a notebook that laid out his plot to ‘wack’ Thompson at his ‘parasitic bean-counter convention’ in Manhattan

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 05:01

What is a ghost gun?

When the New York City Police Department caught up with the man accused of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, they found him with multiple fraudulent IDs and a 9mm “ghost gun,” according to authorities.

What is a ghost gun? Since the rise of 3D printers in the early 2010s, these untraceable firearms have become more and more common in American criminal cases.

Yet because these weapons have no serial numbers, it’s basically impossible to know how many have been sold, how many are in circulation, and the number used in crimes.

Io Dodds reports.

What is a ghost gun? Police link untraceable firearm to suspect Luigi Mangione

Long before the death of CEO Brian Thompson, the home-made weapons were spreading across the US

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 04:03

Contents of Luigi Mangione notebook detail ‘to do list’ and alleged bomb plot

Luigi Mangione allegedly laid out his plot to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a spiral notebook, including a chilling “to-do list” and plans considering using a bomb in the Manhattan attack.

The notebook was found alongside a 262-page manifesto, a ghost gun, silencer and false ID cards in the shooting suspect’s possession at the time of his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday, according to CNN.

Inside the notebook was a to-do list outlining tasks to be completed to carry out the killing, as well as notes that justified those plans, a source told the network.

James Lidell reports.

Luigi Mangione’s notebook reveals chilling alleged to do list and bomb plans

UnitedHealth CEO shooting suspect allegedly opted against using a bomb, noting it ‘could kill innocents’

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 03:00

Reddit posts reveal Mangione’s anger at healthcare system

Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO gunman Luigi Mangione repeatedly spoke of his anger at the healthcare system on Reddit, according to archived post.

Mangione, who had a spinal fusion surgery in 2023, complained on the site that medical authorities didn’t take people’s pain seriously, The Washington Post reports.

“Tell them you are ‘unable to work’ / do your job,” he wrote in one post. “We live in a capitalist society. I’ve found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how it’s impacting your quality of life.”

In another post, he told readers they could fake difficulty using their feet to convince doctors to give them back surgery.

“This is the absolute nuclear option, but there comes a point where it’s just ridiculous that people won’t operate on your broken spine,” he said.

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 01:45

Luigi Mangione’s lawyer won’t say who hired him

The Luigi Mangione case keeps getting stranger.

The alleged gunman who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has retained a lawyer, but the attorney, Thomas Dickey, has declined to say who hired him.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna comment,” he told CNN.

Nationwide fundraisers have sought to funnel funds for Mangione’s legal defense.

Here’s more on Dickey.

What to know about Luigi Mangione’s lawyer Thomas Dickey

Thomas Dickey was brought onto the case the day after Luigi Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s and charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 01:25

‘The Daily Show’ mocks conservative for criticizing Luigi Mangione but praising Kyle Rittenhouse

“The Daily Show” is mocking conservatives for criticizing Luigi Mangione for his alleged vigilante-style shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, despite the same figures previously praising armed civilian Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men during unrest after the police shooting of a Black man.

Josh Marcus12 December 2024 01:05

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