Luigi Mangione is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in a shooting that occurred in New York City in December 2024. Mangione's motive appears to have been driven by animosity toward the healthcare industry. He had a debilitating back injury that required surgery and had expressed strong disdain for corporate America, especially the health care sector, through handwritten notes found on him at the time of his arrest. These notes criticized the U.S. healthcare system as the most expensive in the world while ranking poorly in life expectancy, and accused major corporations of corruption, greed, and abusing the country for profit. Mangione seemed to see his act as a form of brutal honesty against what he viewed as systemic corruption and corporate power abuses. His actions were described as a premeditated and cold-blooded assassination, but he has also gained polarized public attention, seen by some as a protest figure against corporate greed. He faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder and weapons charges. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, but some terrorism-related charges have been dismissed as they found insufficient evidence of intent to influence government policies. His handwritten document and motivations have drawn comparisons to extremist mindsets but without explicit threats to others. In summary, Luigi Mangione's act was motivated by his personal grievances and ideological opposition to the healthcare industry and corporate America, fueled by his own experiences and political views expressed in a handwritten note he left behind.
