UnitedHealthcare employee executed a TV reporter and cameraman in 2015
The execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York is not the first time the company has been embroiled in a high-profile murder.
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The execution-style killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is not the first time the company has been linked to a high-profile murder.
UnitedHealthcare employee Vester Lee Flanagan II took his life after shooting dead CBS affiliate WDBJ-TV Roanoke reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward live on air in August 2015.
Parker, 24, and Ward, 27, were declared dead at the scene however a woman they were interviewing, Vicki Gardner, survived with a bullet wound to her back.
Flanagan, who posted a video of the murders to his Twitter account, killed himself during a police car chase.
It turned out Flanagan had been fired from WDBJ-TV in 2013 for poor performance and disruptive behaviour, according to the New York Post.
He later took a position at a UnitedHealthcare call centre in Roanoke, where he worked until November 2014, the outlet reports.
While at UnitedHealthcare, Flanagan was accused of grabbing a female employee’s shoulder and aggressively telling her to never talk to him again, according to The Post, citing reports at the time.
It comes as Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing Thompson, retained a high-profile New York lawyer.
The move suggests Mangione may soon stop fighting extradition from Pennsylvania, the site of his arrest, to New York, where the murder he is accused of was committed.
Mangione is charged in New York with second-degree murder in the December 4 shooting of Thompson.
He has retained Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, a former Manhattan prosecutor, to represent him, CNN reports.
Friedman-Agnifilo is married to Marc Agnifilo, who has been representing rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs as he battles sex trafficking charges.
Working in private practice since 2021, Friedman Agnifilo served for seven years as chief assistant district attorney in Manhattan, the same jurisdiction prosecuting her new client.
Mangione, 26, was arrested last Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after police were alerted that a man eating hash browns looked like the suspect New York authorities sought in connection with the shooting of Thompson five days earlier.
A lawyer for Mangione in Pennsylvania, Thomas Dickey, has denied his client’s involvement in the killing in New York and said he anticipates Mangione will plead not guilty there to the murder charge and other counts.
Mr Dickey said his client was fighting extradition to New York but now Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he’s seen indications Mangione may change his mind about where to fight the charges.
“Indications are that the defendant may waive, but that waiver is not complete until a court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday,” Bragg said. “So until that time, we’re going to continue to press forward on parallel paths and we’ll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he’s going to contest extradition.”
Mangione is in custody on Pennsylvania charges related to a gun and fake ID police say they found when they arrested him.
Mangione was denied bail at an extradition hearing last week at Pennsylvania’s Blair County Courthouse.
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MANGIONE’S MOTHER SPOKE TO FBI
The FBI spoke to Luigi Mangione’s mother the night before her son’s high profile arrest and told federal investigators he bore a resemblance to the suspect wanted for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to law enforcement sources.
Members of the Joint Violent Crimes Task Force questioned Kathleen Mangione after receiving a tip from San Francisco police about a missing person’s report the family had filed with the department in November, the sources said.
Mrs Mangione reported her son missing to San Francisco police on November 18. She hadn’t spoken to him since July 1 and was unaware of his whereabouts, according to the report.
She wasn’t completely confident that it was actually her son in the images captured by CCTV.
‘HOT ASSASSIN’S’ CHARMED LIFE PRIOR TO MURDER
The man dubbed the “hot assassin” who allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was enjoying a life of yoga, shirtless beach days and beautiful women in Hawaii shortly before being accused of murder.
The New York Post spoke to a number of Luigi Mangione’s friends in Hawaii who painted an idyllic picture of his life there despite the lingering back injury he suffered.
Photos obtained by the news outlet show Mangione with his now infamous sexy grin posing on the beach, out to dinner and even tickling a pair of giggling women.
Tracy Le, a New York data engineer, was among those who shared co-living penthouse Surfbreak with Mangione in Honolulu in 2022.
She posted a number of happy snaps featuring Mangione to Instagram in April 2022 and even specifically named him in her post.
“So many people I love in one picture,” Ms Le wrote.
“ (Mangione’s was) the only name whose FaceTime calls I would pick up. He was one of my absolute best, closest, most trusted friends.”
Her recollection was backed up by Josiah Ryan, a Surfbreak spokesman who spoke to the Post.
“There was no simmering anger that was visible,” he said.
The Post also interviewed Mangione’s former yoga teacher Dorain Wright who instructed Mangione in Honolulu from 2020 to 2023.
“He was very clear when he told me where his back injury was … He was receptive of me helping him work through his injury,” Mr Wright said.
“One of our teachers matched with him on Tinder. She was taking my class at the same time as he was. She was like, ‘I wanted to go up to him and ask him out on a date, but I was too nervous.”
MANGIONE COULD MISS OUT ON MILLIONS IN INHERITANCE
Mangione could miss out on millions of dollars of inheritance from his super wealthy family.
Mangione’s grandmother, Mary Mangione, who was a millionaire philanthropist married to real estate developer Nick Mangione, left an estimated US$30 million ($47.18m) to her family of 10 children and 37 grandchildren when she died last year.
However, her will stipulated that those lined up for the inheritance will receive it as long as the descendant has not “been charged, indicted, convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony,” according to her will”.
That means the charges already filed against Luigi Mangione could cut him out of the will.
Mary Mangione specifically outlined that: “It is my precatory wish that the benefit of the doubt is not given to the individual”.
“It is my precatory desire that the Trustees particularly consider invoking their discretion to implement this Section if the felony is a common law felony, a statutory felony if it is the codification of a common law felony, a heinous felony, any felony involving a physically violent act against another person or property or any drug related felony involving distribution or intent to distribute any type of drug or illegal substance,” the will states according to Fox News.
“The decision of the Trustees is conclusive, final and binding on everyone. It is my precatory wish that the benefit of the doubt is not given to the individual.”
FBI TIPPED OFF ‘DAYS BEFORE ARREST’
Mangione was identified by San Francisco Police, based on a missing persons report, four days before his arrest, according to police sources.
The San Francisco officer investigating the missing persons case brought by the 26-year-old’s mother reported his identity to the FBI on December 5, local time, just one day after he allegedly executed healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York. He was not arrested until December 9 following a public tip-off.
The delay, first reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, raises further questions about how the tech whiz eluded a nationwide manhunt.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told NBC that Mr Mangione had not been on their radar at the time of his arrest at a McDonalds about 450km west of Manhattan. None of the hundreds of tips from the hotline came from a Mangione family member.
The officer from San Francisco’s Special Victims Unit recognised Mr Mangione from surveillance images released showing his smiling face at a New York hostel, according to the Chronicle.
Mrs Mangione had reported her son missing to San Francisco Police because she thought he worked in the city for TrueCar, but Mr Mangione had not been an employee since 2023 and the company has since permanently closed.
SAD REASON MANGIONE MAY HAVE TARGETED CEO
A “life-changing, life-altering” back injury may have helped drive Mangione to kill UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, triggering a nationwide manhunt that ended when he was recognised at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Detectives have been focused on what may have motivated the data engineer, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Baltimore family, to allegedly shoot Thompson in cold blood.
Speculation had swirled about Mangione’s health, after a photo on what appeared to be one of his social media accounts featured an X-ray of a spine with a medical implement.
“It seems that he had an accident that caused him to go to the emergency room back in July of 2023, and that it was a life-changing injury,” New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York on Thursday local time.
“He posted X-rays of screws being inserted into his spine. So the injury that he suffered was, was a life-changing, life-altering injury, and that’s what may have put him on this path,” Kenny continued.
He also said that police had found “no indication that (Mangione) was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare” and suggested he may have targeted the company because it was the largest healthcare organisation in the United States.
REAL REASON FOR OUTBURST
The defence lawyer for Mangione said the alleged assassin lashed out in front of reporters because he was “irritated” at the accusation and “agitated” about not having legal representation.
It comes as NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that none of the tips received came from members of the Mangione family, leaving investigators to question what they knew during the nationwide manhunt.
Mr Mangione, 26, was arrested in Pennsylvania and faces extradition to New York to face firearms, forgery and murder charges.
While being taken into a courthouse, Mr Mangione lashed out yelling that reporters were “completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!”
“This is completely unjust and an insult to the American people,” he added.
Defence Lawyer Thomas Dickey said his client was upset that he did not have legal representation at that point.
“He’s irritated, agitated about what’s happening to him and what he’s being accused of,” Mr Dickey said on CNN, adding that the frustration subsided after he spoke with Mr Mangione inside the courthouse.
“He never had any legal representation until he walked into that building yesterday,” Mr Dickey said. “Look at the difference between when he went in and when he came out.”
“Once he got in, he finally had legal representation … I like to think he had somebody that he can trust and has faith in.”
MANGIONE FAMILY NURSING HOMES ABUSE CLAIMS
Nursing homes owned and operated by Luigi Mangione’s wealthy family have previously been hit by fines and accused of abuse, the Daily Mail reports, citing a review of Medicare data.
The for-profit Lorien Health Services network was inherited by the 10 kids of Luigi’s grandfather Nick Mangione Sr, an Italian American real estate mogul.
According to the Daily Mail, several of the nine homes, located across the Baltimore area, have come in for criticism, citations, and federal fines.
They include a nursing home in Bel Air, Maryland, which received 24 health citations in the past six years, compared to the national average of 9.6, including “for abuse”.
Another home in Bulle Rock, Maryland, was fined US$40,422 following a June 2022 inspection, the Daily Mail reports.
Lorien’s Columbia home was also fined $24,680 in July, its third in two years.
PRISON CONDITIONS ‘TERRIBLE’
Luigi Mangione’s inmates claim his conditions in prison are “terrible”.
The inmates were heard yelling at reporters, who stood outside the State Correction Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, as they watched the broadcast inside the prison.
“Luigi’s watching right now,” an inmate was heard yelling to the reporters.
The inmates later said that Mangione was being kept separate from other prisoners and did not have a TV inside his single cell.
When asked if they had “eyes on Luigi”, the prisoners said “no” and one was heard yelling “Free Luigi”.
The prison menu apparently offered Mangione a choice of fruits, grits, bread, eggs and coffee for breakfast; meatballs, potatoes, bread and fruit for lunch, and mac & cheese, pasta bean casserole, tomatoes and broccoli for dinner.
KEY EVIDENCE REVEALED
Police claim the 3D-printed gun found on Luigi Mangione matches shell casings found near slain healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, while the suspect’s fingerprints were allegedly found on a nearby water bottle.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tish confirmed the three 9mm shell casings had the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose” written on them.
It comes as an online fundraiser for Luigi Mangione has reached almost $A50,000, as defence lawyer says there’s no evidence linking him to the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The GiveSendGo page blew past its initial fundraising goal to reach $47,000 in less than a week since Mangione was arrested.
Defence lawyer Thomas Dickey said he’s receiving offers to pay legal bills for Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to weapons and forgery charges filed in Pennsylvania.
Mangione is fighting extradition to New York to face more serious charges of second-degree murder, with Mr Dickey saying “he is contesting it”.
Mr Dickey has been quoted in US media saying there is no evidence linking Mangione to the execution of Mr Thompson, adding the gun found has not been definitively matched to the killing.
“So, we’re going to test those waters and give the government a chance to bring some evidence forward,” he said.
In the handwritten “manifesto” police have in evidence, Mangione allegedly referenced documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and former New York Times reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal in his manifesto as examples of people who have “illuminated the corruption and greed” of the health care industry “decades ago and the problems simply remain,” extracts of the manifesto said.
Mangione’s former roommate said that the suspected killer’s actions were “incompatible” with the person he knew, saying that it was like “two completely different human beings.”
Mr Mangione’s former roommate R.J. Martin said the friend he knew, and the one arrested, were “like two completely different human beings”.
“It feels strange because he was a great friend and I considered him a close friend,” he said. “And that someone who would assassinate somebody is completely incompatible with the person that I lived with, the person I cooked meals with, the person that was part of book club and other activities with.”
DISTURBING ‘WANTED’ POSTERS OF CEOS
“Wanted” posters with the names and photos of murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and other high-profile health insurance executives have began popping up around Manhattan.
Videos shared on social media showed the signs plastered on scaffolding, and green boxes featuring a big red X over Mr Thompson’s face appeared on the corner of Canal and Centre streets in Lower Manhattan.
Other posters displayed the faces of Optum CEO Heather Cianfrocco and UnitedHealthcare CEO Andrew Witty on green scaffolding on Wall Street, according to the video.
The posters warn that “HEALTH CARE CEOS SHOULD NOT FEEL SAFE” and include “DENY … DEFEND … DEPOSE” — the three words found on the bullets allegedly fired by Mangione.
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