Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, finally spoke after 24 hours of silence when he arrived at a Pennsylvania courthouse. During his entrance, he contested his arrest with a sudden outburst that caught everyone off guard.
Mangione criticized his arrest as being disconnected from reality and derogatory towards the intelligence of the American people and their real-life experiences. His intense remarks led the officers escorting him to quickly usher him into the courthouse.
Despite being dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Mangione remained composed. Throughout the Blair County Court session at 2 p.m., he was observed conversing quietly with his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, exchanging glances with journalists, and muttering to himself.
Prosecutors say he had $8,000 U.S. cash; $2,000 foreign cash; masks, and a passport on him – in addition to a “ghost gun” with a silencer resembling the weapon used to kill Thompson – when he was apprehended by police in Altoona on Monday.
Mangione’s arrest came after a five-day manhunt involving the FBI and police departments in multiple states.
He reportedly had a manifesto on him when he was arrested that enumerated his grievances with the health care industry.
After attending a $40,000-per-year private school, the Gilman School in Baltimore, Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor and master’s degrees in engineering and was part of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
