Luigi Mangione latest: Ghost gun found on suspected killer matches casings found at UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder
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.
ICYMI: Luigi Mangione’s high school classmate speaks out about CEO murder
“He had a lot of things going for him,” Ellison Jordan, who graduated from the Gilman School alongside 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, told The Independent. “He was always cool people.”
Jordan attended Gilman, a prestigious all-boys prep school in Baltimore, with Mangione, and found him to be “a smart dude,” and “a regular guy,” he said on Tuesday.
“I’m being sensitive to Luigi, because I went to school with him,” Jordan, who has not spoken to the media previously about Mangione, went on. “I hope he didn’t do it. I’m praying he didn’t do it. It’s still ‘allegedly.’ It’s really shocking.”
Justin Rohrlich has the details.
James Liddell12 December 2024 09:05
Who is Luigi Mangione’s attorney Thomas Dickey?
Luigi Mangione’s lawyer is a seasoned trial attorney based in Pennsylvania with more than 40 years of experience.
Thomas Dickey was brought onto the case on Tuesday, one day after his client was arrested in a McDonald’s in the town of Altoona. The 26-year-old now faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by New York prosecutors who are seeking his extradition to the state.
Dickey said he expects his client will plead not guilty.
Rhian Lubin has the full details.
James Liddell12 December 2024 08:43
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
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.
Josh Marcus12 December 2024 07:57
Bizarre crypto ‘meme coins’ celebrate Luigi Mangione
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.
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.
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.
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.
Josh Marcus12 December 2024 05:01
What is a ghost gun?
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.
Josh Marcus12 December 2024 04:03
Contents of Luigi Mangione notebook detail ‘to do list’ and alleged bomb plot
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.
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