Suspect In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing Is Charged With Murder, Court Records Show

Police arrested a suspect in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s customer in Altoona, Pennsylvania, spotted a man who officers found with a gun, mask, and writings linking him to the ambush.

Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Brian Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police said.

Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Mangione, according to an online court docket. He remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”

Mangione, 26, was spotted at an Altoona McDonald's on Monday morning by someone who'd seen photos of the person of interest in the case. Local authorities responded and arrested him on an illegal gun charge, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. 

"At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson," Tisch said. "The suspect was in a McDonald's and then recognized by an employee who then called police. Responding officers questioned the suspect, who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs as well as a U.S. passport." 

The gun police found on him may have been a 3D-printed ghost gun, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.   

"This is a strong person of interest," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "He matches the description of the identification we've been looking for. He's also in possession of several items that we believe will connect him to this incident."   

Mangione is an Ivy League graduate and part of a prominent family in Maryland. Police said he has no prior arrest history in New York.  

Gun recovered matches the description of the murder weapon, police say

Mangione was sitting and eating at the McDonald's when officers arrived, Kenny said. 

He was found in possession of a gun and suppresser, matching a description of the weapon used to kill Thompson, Tisch said. He also had a fake New Jersey ID, matching the one used to check into the hostel, according to the police commissioner.

"Additionally, officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," Tisch said. "NYPD detectives are on their way to Pennsylvania as we seek to interview the subject further." 

"The document is currently in possession of the Altoona Police Department," Kenny said. "But just from briefly speaking with them, we don't think that there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document. But it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America." 

Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the Hilton Midtown hotel on Dec. 4. NYPD identified a person of interest who they said had used a fake New Jersey ID to check into a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side before the shooting. Investigators later said they believed the person of interest had left New York City, possibly on a bus bound for Atlanta. 

"NYPD investigators combed through thousands of hours of video, followed up on hundreds of tips and processed every bit of forensic evidence, DNA, fingerprints, IP addresses, and so much more. We deployed drones, canine units, scuba divers," Tisch said.  

Over the weekend, NYPD continued to search Central Park for clues, specifically the weapon used to kill Thompson, but were unsuccessful. Investigators on Friday found what they believe is the suspected gunman's backpack in the park, law enforcement officials told CBS News.

"In this case, it really came down to technology. It was the use of drones in Central Park, and really comes down to the video canvas that we did. We used every source of video that we could collect. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours, from hundreds of sources, and that helped bring this to where we are right now," Kenny said. 

CEO's shocking murder caught on video

Thompson's murder outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue near West 54th Street was caught on surveillance video. It showed Thompson walking down the street and the gunman appearing behind him. Wielding a pistol with a silencer on it, the gunman is seen taking aim and firing, shooting Thompson in the back. As Thompson falls, the gunman appears to clear a jam in the weapon, take aim and fire again. The gun then apparently jams again, before the gunman clears the round and fires once more before running across the street. 

Tisch called the killing a "premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack" as the department launched an all-out manhunt and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The FBI was also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. 

"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," Tisch said at a news conference the day of the shooting. "The full investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway, and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter in this case."

Quickly, investigators put together a timeline of the shooting, including the suspect's movements and escape route. 

The next day, police released images of a person they wanted to question in connection with the killing as they zeroed in on the hostel where he was allegedly staying.