EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of the VERY Privileged Life Led by Brian Thompson 'Murderer' Luigi Mangione Laid Bare — From Ivy League Education to Family's Real Estate Empire and Lawmaker Relatives
Luigi Mangione is accused of shooting Brian Thompson in a brazen crime captured on camera.
Dec. 10 2024, Published 2:50 p.m. ET
Luigi Mangione's twisted path from a well-respected Ivy League student to the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can today be laid bare.
The 26-year-old suspect, who was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania Monday, changed after painful back surgery and explored psychedelic treatment for his chronic pain, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
He is the heir to a holiday resort fortune created by his grandparents, and the brother of a top doctor.
Mangione, 26, comes from a powerful Maryland family centered on the late patriarch Nicholas Mangiano, a first-generation American who built a real estate empire in the state.
He is originally from Towson, Maryland, where he lived in a $1m home with his parents and is an anti-capitalist who attended Baltimore's elite $40,000-a-year Gilman School, where he graduated valedictorian in 2016.
Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
He then attended the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania where he studied software engineering. After completing his studies, he worked as a software engineer at TrueCar, a Santa Monica, California-based online car market.
He stopped working there in February 2023. He is also believed to have suffered a spinal injury the same year, and on his X account is what appears to be an x-ray for his surgery.
Family head Nicholas was born in Baltimore's Little Italy to a poor family but worked his way up from nothing. He also founded the nursing home Lorien Health Services. Luigi volunteered at his grandpa's nursing home in 2014, according to his LinkedIn.
Nicholas had 10 children, including Luigi's father Louis, and was married to his wife Mary until his death. The couple lived in a $1.9 million mansion on their country club, with Mary dying in 2013.
Luigi Mangione is also the cousin of Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione.
The suspect was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday.
Meanwhile, Luigi's mother Kathleen Zannino Mangione, owns a boutique travel company, and his sister MariaSanta Mangione is a respected doctor.
She now works as a medical resident at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas after graduating from Vanderbilt medical school.
To his death, the patriarch of the Mangione family, Nicholas, was very proud of his roots, as he said in 1995: "They asked me what family I belonged to. I told them, 'I belong to the Mangione family. The Mangione family of Baltimore County'."
He and his wife Mary shared 37 grandchildren together, including Luigi.
Luigi's family has an extensive background in the medical field, as they repeatedly donated to hospitals, nursing homes and even ran their own foundations.
Mangione attended college at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied software engineering.
For decades, the Mangione family has supported the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), donating more than $1million to the hospital.
Mangione is being held at a jail in Altoona.
Nicholas, who died in 2008 aged 83 after suffering a stroke, was the owner of Turf Valley Resort and Hayfields Country Club, as well as radio station WCBM-AM.
The musclebound suspect also has ties to San Francisco, and used to live in Honolulu, Hawaii, cops confirmed.
Pals remember he said he had a back issue. He was hoping to get stronger in Hawaii, former roommate R.J. Martin told CNN.
The experience was "really traumatic and difficult" for him, the roommate said while adding that Mangione sent him X-ray images of his spine.
The murder suspect had firearms and cash on him at the time of his arrest.
"It looked heinous, with just giant screws going into his spine," Martin said.
Mangione suddenly went radio silent while recovering. He sought alternative forms of pain management, including psychedelics and magic mushrooms.
His family was so concerned about him that he was reported missing on November 18.
The Mangione family said they were "shocked and devastated" in a statement released Monday night.
"We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved," the statement read.
Mangione was charged with murder by NYC officials late Monday after his capture.
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The 26-year-old was arrested at a branch of McDonald's.
The alleged killer provided cops with a fake ID when he was approached. When police asked him if he had been to New York recently, he "became quiet and started to shake".
In his backpack, police found a 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed silencer. Mangione was also carrying a passport and $10,000 in cash — $2,000 of it in foreign currency.
While his motive remains unclear, signs appear to show the alleged killer may have been self-medicating with magi mushrooms. Have a tip? Send it to us! Email RadarOnline.com at tips@radaronline.com.
