Luigi Mangione Says He "Wasn't Working With Anyone" in His 262-Word Manifesto

The NYPD's prime suspect in the targeted murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has finally been identified as UPenn graduate Luigi Nicholas Mangione. The 26-year-old was detained at a Pennsylvania McDonald's after employees described his behavior as suspicious. He has since been charged with second-degree murder as well as three gun-related charges and forgery, per the New York Times.

Aside from matching the physical description of the killer, whose face was caught on surveillance footage, Mangione was also apparently found with a few suspicious items on his person that further link him to the killing.

Here's what we know.

After searching Mangione's belongings, the police reportedly found a "ghost gun" and suppressor "consistent with the weapon used in the murder," a mask and clothing that matched the one worn by the killer, a fake New Jersey IDs that matched the name that the suspect had used to check into his New York City hostel, and a three-page written document detailing his negative feelings toward the U.S. healthcare industry.

During a press conference on Monday, Dec. 9, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated that this document, which is being called a manifesto, demonstrated Mangione's "ill will toward corporate America" and "speaks to both his motivation and mindset" in connection with the case.

Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein obtained a copy of the manifesto and published it in his Substack. The 262-word message begins by saying he respects what "the Feds do for our country" and plainly states that he was working alone. In terms of finding anything about him, Mangione said he is pretty confident that they won't get anything from his laptop. "My tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there."

He then goes on to essentially lay out his motive which is rooted in his disdain for the healthcare industry. Mangione points out that the "U.S. has the No. 1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly No. 42 in life expectancy." In his opinion, this is due to the fact that companies like UnitedHealthcare, Google, Apple, and Walmart put profits before people, and Americans let them get away with it.

"Obviously, the problem is more complex," writes Mangione, "but I do not have space, and frankly I do not pretend to be the most qualified person to lay out the full argument." He finishes by saying the issue is not a lack of awareness but rather power games that are being played. "Evidently, I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty."

On the surface, a manifesto is a written document which publicly declares a person or organization's "intentions, motives, or views," per Merriam-Webster. They're often utilized by political parties and figures to describe their policy positions or plans for future endeavors.

However, manifestos have certainly garnered a negative public perception over the past few decades — and that's because they're often written and used by known killers.

In 1995, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's anti-technology manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future, was published by The New York Times. In it, he detailed his feelings about how the Industrial Revolution had destroyed nature and suppressed human freedom and happiness. The document detailed his crimes and how he intended them to bring forth the collapse of industrial society.

Another famous murderer, Dylann Roof, also wrote and published a manifesto: rtf88. The symbolism of 88 in his messaging was reported to be a reference to Hitler. His document described his radicalization into white supremacy and how it drove him to commit the devastating Charleston church murders in 2015.

While it's unconfirmed at this time whether Luigi Mangione did, indeed, murder United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, his manifesto certainly isn't making him look any more innocent.