Luigi Mangione Update: New Details From Alleged Manifesto Revealed
By Jenna Sundel
Prosecutors released new excerpts from Luigi Mangione's spiral notebook, detailing the alleged killer's motive for targeting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
A Wednesday court filing described detailed planning and ideological motivations, including Mangione's stated desire to avoid civilian casualties.
Mangione, 27, was arrested five days after Thompson was shot and killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024. Authorities have characterized the crime as premeditated and politically motivated, and the evidence is now at the center of upcoming court proceedings.
Newsweek reached out to Mangione's legal team for comment.
Why It Matters
The killing of Thompson, CEO of the country's largest health insurer, has highlighted deep public frustration with the American health insurance system and ignited debate over the potential for violent acts as a form of protest.
In the wake of the crime, health insurance employees expressed heightened fears for their safety. The case has drawn both public condemnation and some support for Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges in his federal and state cases.
Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione appears at a court hearing in New York on February 21, 2025. Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool, File
What To Know
According to the court filing, Mangione's diary entries chronicled months of planning. He allegedly surveilled Thompson near the Midtown hotel the night before the killing.
An August 15, 2024, entry read: "I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don't feel any doubt about whether it's right/justified. I'm glad in a way that I've procrastinated bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC."
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It said that after considering another target, he chose the health insurance industry.
"The target is insurance. It checks every box," the August entry read.
Mangione's red notebook, seized during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, contained statements allegedly explaining his rationale for targeting UnitedHealthcare and seeking maximum public impact. He reasoned that attacking the CEO at an annual investor event was "targeted, precise and doesn't risk innocents."
A larger attack "would've been an unjustified catastrophe," particularly one he allegedly contemplated in Maryland, which he decided against due to the risk to innocent lives. He described an intent to "send a message" through the killing, emphasizing the choice of a symbolic target and the timing for maximum disruption.
Alleged Motive and Wider Impact
Prosecutors said Mangione singled out UnitedHealthcare as a surrogate for the broader health insurance industry, stating that the company "literally extracts human life force for money."
Thompson's death produced tangible fear within UnitedHealthcare and across the health insurance sector, with threats being reported and employees being advised not to wear branded apparel.
Court records and a federal complaint stated Mangione was not a current UnitedHealthcare customer and acted alone, motivated by animosity toward the industry's structure.
What People Are Saying
Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann, Manhattan District Attorney's Office, in a filing: "If ever there were an open and shut case pointing to defendant's guilt, this case is that case. Simply put, one would be hard-pressed to find a case with such overwhelming evidence of guilt as to the identity of the murderer and premeditated nature of the assassination."
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione's defense attorney, in an April 1 statement: "This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship. Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man's life."
What Happens Next
Mangione is scheduled to appear in court on June 26 for a pre-trial hearing in his New York state case. The court's decisions on the admissibility of evidence going forward are expected to shape the trajectory of both state and federal proceedings.
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