Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused in the brazen shooting death of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, had allegedly solidified his intention to make a statement about American health care by August 15 of last year.
On that date, he reportedly wrote in a red notebook, “I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don’t feel any doubt about whether it’s right/justified.”
“I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated because it allowed me to learn more about UHC.”
Prosecutors revealed select handwritten pages of a journal used by Mangione in a new 82-page filing on Wednesday that offers insight into the depth of planning he put into the alleged crime, including consideration of how it would be perceived by the public.
Mangione also appeared to contemplate a different target — someone with the initials “KMD” — before ultimately deciding against it.
“KMD would’ve been an unjustified catastrophe that would be perceived mostly as sick, but more importantly unhelpful. It would do nothing to spread awareness or improve people’s lives,” Mangione allegedly wrote. “The target is insurance. It checks every box.”
On October 22, approximately one-and-a-half months before Thompson’s death, Mangione allegedly wrote that “the problem with most revolutionary acts is that the message is lost on normies.”
“For example, Ted K makes some good points on the future of humanity, but to make his point he indiscriminately mailbombs innocents,” Mangione allegedly wrote, referencing the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Mangione had previously left a Goodreads review on Kaczynski’s book, “Industrial Society and Its Future,” stating that it was “impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out.”
The journal entry continued: “Normies categorize him as an insane serial killer, focusing on the act/atrocities themselves, and dismissing his ideas. And most importantly — by committing indiscriminate atrocities, he becomes a monster, which taints his ideas as those of a monster, regardless of their validity. He transitions from a revolutionary anarchist to a terrorist — the worst label a person can bear.”
“This is the dilemma with most militants who rebel against — often real — injustices: they commit an atrocity whose horror either overshadows the impact of their message, or whose disparity from their message prevents normies from connecting the dots,” the entry explained. “As a result, the revolutionary idea becomes associated with extremism, incoherence, or malevolence — an idea that no rational member of society could endorse. Instead of gaining public support, they lose it. Their revolutionary actions become counterproductive.”
Mangione, who purportedly referred to himself as a “revolutionary anarchist” in the notebook, has garnered support nationwide from Americans frustrated with exorbitantly expensive U.S. health care.
The court filing disclosed that Mangione seemingly crossed paths with Thompson the day before the shooting, as he appeared to be on a call while walking down a Manhattan street near Thompson’s hotel.
Mangione allegedly spent around 23 minutes waiting outside the hotel on December 4 before spotting Thompson. A figure dressed in black with a backpack can be seen in security footage swiftly approaching the CEO from behind and firing several rapid shots before fleeing the scene.
A large-scale manhunt concluded five days later when Mangione was identified at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The notebook was among the items he reportedly had in his possession at the time of his apprehension.
Prosecutors argued in the filing for a terrorism enhancement in the event that Mangione is convicted, asserting that Thompson’s murder was orchestrated to instill fear in those who profit significantly from U.S. health care.
They cited examples of the impact: some United HealthCare employees purportedly resigned out of fear of reprisal, many received security details, and one executive changed her appearance and relocated due to threats. Some UHC employees were hesitant to send out letters denying coverage, successfully petitioning the company to allow them to omit their names from the letters despite certain state laws requiring disclosure.
They also rebuffed the notion outlined in the notebook that limiting the violence to one symbolic individual was morally justified.
“You don’t get a trophy or any kind of absolution under New York’s anti-terrorism law because you only killed one innocent person and not others,” prosecutors stated.
