Accused murderer Luigi Mangione’s effort to stay out of prison could be undermined by his own handwritten diary, which reportedly includes a detailed plan to murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. According to a court filing made available Wednesday, New York prosecutors say Mangione laid out plans to kill Thompson months before the December 2024 shooting. Investigators found the red notebook during his arrest in Pennsylvania.
Entries made public through court filing
The entries became available to the public on June 4 by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after Mangione’s defense attempted to throw out the case. Prosecutors said Mangione allegedly wrote various entries about his plans, including the headline he wanted to generate with the murder: “Insurance CEO killed at annual investors conference.”
In Aug. 2024, court filings say Mangione wrote, “So say you want to rebel against the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel. Do you bomb the HQ? No. Bombs=terrorism.”
Filings detail that Mangione later wrote he felt confident about his plans. He allegedly wrote, “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 bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC.”
About a month and a half leading up to the shooting, an October entry said he planned to kill the CEO at the annual “parasitic bean-counter convention.”
Thompson killed outside Manhattan hotel
Thompson was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton Hotel in Manhattan by a masked gunman. The CEO had been scheduled to speak later that evening at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference.
NBC News reports Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann said in the filing that the writings create a case that is open and shut and clearly prove Mangione’s guilt. He said, “Simply put, one would be hard pressed to find a case with such overwhelming evidence of guilt as to the identity of the murderer and premeditated nature of the assassination.”
A multi-state manhunt followed the shooting, with surveillance footage capturing the suspect’s movements after the attack. The investigation eventually led police to a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where a tipster reported that a man inside matched the description released by the New York Police Department. That man was later identified as Mangione.
What happens next?
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges connected to Thompson’s murder. He is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on June 26.
