Luigi Mangione is accused of murdering a healthcare CEO

A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder in last week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.

Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles (450 km) west of New York on Monday after a customer at the fast-food restaurant recognized him.

An Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, he was found in possession of a 3D-printed gun and a handwritten document that showed “motivation and mindset,” according to police.

Mr. Mangione then appeared in a Pennsylvania court to stand trial on the five original charges and was denied bail.

Just hours later, New York investigators charged Mr. Mangione with murder and four other charges, including firearms charges.

Thompson, 50, was fatally shot in the back last Wednesday morning outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance giant he runs, was holding an investor meeting.

Police say he was the target of a premeditated murder.

Mr. Mangione is in jail in Pennsylvania, where he has been formally charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

He was handcuffed at the wrists and ankles when he appeared in court there earlier Monday.

Dressed in jeans and a navy blue T-shirt, Mr. Mangione appeared relaxed during the hearing, occasionally glancing at those in attendance, including the media.

Last week's shooting sparked a massive manhunt, with New York City investigators using one of the world's largest digital surveillance systems, as well as police dogs, drones and divers in the Central Park lake to search for the gunman.

Investigators revealed that finding Mr Mangione was a complete surprise as they had not had his name on a suspect list before Monday.

Eventually, a McDonald's customer in Altoona recognized the suspect from the media coverage and alerted an employee, who then notified police.

When the police arrived, Mr. Mangione showed them a fake New Jersey driver's license in the name Mark Rosario, court documents said.

He “became still and began to shake” when an officer asked him if he had been to New York recently, the criminal complaint added.

When told he would be arrested if he falsified his name, he gave his real name, according to court documents.

Asked why he had lied, he told officers he “clearly shouldn't have.”

A search of his backpack turned up a 3D-printed handgun, a 3D-printed silencer and a loaded magazine with six rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Prosecutors said he also carried an American passport and $10,000 in cash, $2,000 of which was in foreign currency, although Mr. Mangione disputed the amount in court.

A three-page handwritten document found in his possession suggested he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” officials said.

Investigators say the words “deny”, “protect” and “remove” were written on shell casings found at the scene of Mr Thompson's murder.

Officials believe it could be a reference to what critics call the “three Ds of insurance” — tactics used by insurance companies to deny payment claims from patients in America's complex health care system.

Earlier in the day, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the weapon and suppressor seized by investigators from the suspect “were both consistent with the weapon used in the murder” of Mr Thompson.

Mr. Mangione is now expected to be presented with the option of waiving or contesting his extradition to New York State.

If he gives her up, he will be immediately turned over to New York authorities. If you challenge it, the process can take between 30 and 45 days.

Mr Mangione's family said they were “shocked and devastated” by his arrest.

“Our prayers go out to Brian Thompson's family and we ask that people pray for everyone involved,” said their statement, which was posted on social media late Monday by the accused's cousin, Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione.

As a teenager, Mr. Mangione attended a private boys' school in Maryland, where he was valedictorian, a title usually awarded to students with the best grades.

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League college.

His LinkedIn account says he worked as a data engineer in California. TrueCar, a website for car buyers, confirmed that he was employed there but left in 2023.

Mr. Mangione's last known address is in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Several posts on an X account, formerly Twitter, which appear to belong to Mr Mangione, suggest that friends have been trying to contact him, with one person posting in October that “no one has heard from you in months”. .