Luigi Mangione, who has been arrested for the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was reportedly suffering from a back injury aggravated by surfing. Photos: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections//Twitter
A surfing accident reportedly “changed everything” for Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week. That assessment of Mangione’s health and mental state has come to light after the murder suspect was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday morning. Information about his past, his travels, and possible motive(s) have surfaced.
Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. The grandson of a successful real estate developer, Luigi was reportedly groomed to take over the family business with his brothers and attended the University of Pennsylvania. After his Ivy League education, however, Mangione took off for Honolulu, where he moved into a co-living and co-working space called “Surfbreak.” He was enrolled in surf lessons but was only able to surf once in his six-month stay between January and June of 2022 because it aggravated a pre-existing spinal injury, his former roommate at Surfbreak, RJ Martin, told CNN this week.
Martin told CNN “it was really traumatic and difficult.”
“He sent me the X-rays,” he added. “It looked heinous, with just giant screws going into his spine. After that, he called me once, I didn’t pick up.”
That development eventually led him to return to the Mainland where he was supposed to be treated.
Friends of Mangione say “everything changed” with his back injury and one claim even goes so far as to say he “went absolutely crazy” after he was able to have surgery. He reportedly explored alternative treatments to deal with the chronic pain and took an interest in psychedelics for pain management. At the same time, Mangione is said to have gone “radio silent” from many family and friends. A Tuesday interview with The Daily podcast featuring Dionne Searcey and Maria Cramer, two New York Times beat reporters covering the story, added that this is when family became concerned about his mental state.
Among other clues and details that were uncovered with Mangione’s arrest Monday was a handwritten manifesto. In it, Mangione said he worked alone and did not make any specific reference to his own health problems.
“I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done,” he wrote. “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No, the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”
