In the early hours of December 4, 2024, Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was killed outside of a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan while on his way to make a corporate presentation. The killer—wearing a black, hooded windbreaker and a mask—shot Thompson three times, in the back and leg, and then rode an e-bike to Central Park. Left at the scene were bullet casings with the words “deny,” “delay,” and “depose” on them, an apparent reference to an insurance industry tactic for not paying claims.
“Deny,” “delay,” and “depose” were found on the ammunition at the scene of Brian Thompson’s killing.
Five days later Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant in central Pennsylvania and charged with the killing. Investigators said he was carrying a partially 3D-printed gun and bullets, along with a note to the FBI. “To se you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” it read. “This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD [computer-aided design], a lot of patience.” He was sent to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center to await trial.
In the wake of the shooting and manhunt, Mangione developed a massive Internet following. To some, sympathetic to his protests against corporate greed, he is seen as a folk hero. In some corners of the Internet, he became known as “Saint Luigi, Patron Saint of Healthcare Access for All,” complete with religious merchandise. Mangione was not insured by UnitedHealthcare, the largest medical insurer in the United States, but his writings expressed disdain for the health care industry. At one of his court hearings in February, supporters held a “Free Luigi” rally, and roughly 100 women crammed into a hallway at the courthouse, cheering when his attorneys came in. A website soliciting donations for his legal defense had raised more than $900,000 by mid-April 2025.
However, a poll taken a week after the killing showed that perceptions of Mangione were largely split along generational lines. Altogether, 61 percent of the 455 respondents had a negative perception of him, and 18 percent had a positive perception. But 77 percent of respondents older than 45 had negative views, and 41 percent of those younger than 45 felt this way.
Mangione has been charged with murder in state and federal courts. On April 1, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that prosecutors in his case would seek the death penalty. On April 25, Magione pleaded “not guilty” to the federal charges. No trial date has been set, but it is expected that the state prosecution will occur first.
Quick Facts Born: May 6, 1998, Towson, Maryland, U.S. (age 27) See all related contentIn September 2025, a New York state judge dealt a blow to the prosecution’s case throwing out the charges of terrorism and first-degree murder in New York, saying the evidence to justify those charges was “legally insufficient.” Mangione is still charged with second-degree murder in New York, a number of federal charges, and state charges in Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended.