On Dec. 4, 2024, Luigi Mangione allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he exited a meeting in New York City. This led to a five-day manhunt, in which Mangioni was discovered after a McDonald’s employee called the NYPD with a report of seeing a person at their work who resembled the suspect. This was a huge story at the time, and it is likely that a large summary of events isn’t necessary. That being said, there have been many updates in the case since 2024. With a bit over a year of trial activity and developments, the story has only grown since the original crime occurred.
Since his arrest, a 262-word handwritten “manifesto” was discovered tied to Mangione’s action, as well as a notebook, both sharing his motivations and purpose of the assasination. Mangioni wrote about how Thompson and the healthcare industry as a whole was “parasitic,” and his concerns about corporate greed, as reported by the NYPD.
In August 2024, about four months before he allegedly shot Thompson, Mangione wrote in his journal, “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 [UnitedHealthcare].”
The day after, on Aug. 15, he continued: “The target is insurance.
It checks every box.” His journal also allegedly reveals he originally had a bombing planned, although he reasoned that too many innocent lives would be involved, so he didn’t go through with it.
Mangione pled not-guilty to all charges. After the United States Department of Justice announced their decision to seek the death penalty in Mangione’s case, his legal team argued that the decision was a political stunt and that it was a “publicity stunt” and “consistent with the new culture of the highest levels of the Justice Department, one that values personal will over process, publicity over discretion and partisan politics over justice.”
Earlier in the trial, on Dec.10, 2024, Mangione was led into court for one of many hearings, and the press witnessed Mangione shouting, “Your coverage of this event is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience.”
On Sept.16, 2025, Judge Gregory Carro, presiding over the case, dismissed two terrorism-related murder charges, ruling prosecutors presented “no evidence” to meet the legal threshold to constitute charging him. Pre-trial suppression hearings were heard on Dec. 1, and lasted until Dec. 18.
During the hearing, body camera footage was released showing NYPD police officers arguing over the necessity of a warrant to search Mangione’s bag. Mangione’s defense argued that a notebook and gun that were obtained from this bag wouldn’t be able to be shown to a trial as they weren’t obtained legally.
“From what I know, the search that resulted in these key pieces of evidence being found was constitutionally allowable under the ‘inevitable discovery’ doctrine. This is a well-established police procedure that does not violate a defendant’s 4th Amendment rights against illegal searches and seizures,” said government teacher Kevin McManamon. “If his federal trial goes before a jury, any outcome is possible.”
This evidence will contribute to a decision made by Carro on May 18 of this year.
“The evidence doesn’t look good,” McManamon said. “If I was his attorney, I’d be sweating bullets. No pun intended.
