CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione received clothes with hidden notes of support, prosecutors say
The lawyers of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged with murder in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson, gave him clothes that included hidden heart-shaped notes of support, according to prosecutors.
NBC News reported that the note was found in a pair of argyle socks Mangione had received when he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Feb. 21, according to a letter from the district attorney's office.
His legal team released photos of the notes, saying they were inadvertently included with the clothing.
The first note read, "Luigi, we are rooting for you. Keep your head held high. Know there are thousands of people wishing you luck," and was signed, "R/FreeLuigi."
The second note, meanwhile, was addressed to a certain Joan and read, "Thank you so much for trusting me and helping me navigate the entire discourse. You are amazing and I am so grateful for you."
Mangione's spokesperson is named Joan, though it's unclear whether the note was intended for her, according to NBC News.
Mangione was accused of murdering Thompson on Dec. 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York City. He was arrested five days after a fellow customer spotted him eating at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, about 370 kilometers west of New York City.
On Dec. 23, he pleaded not guilty to the 11-count indictment charging him with murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses.
If convicted, he will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Mangione graduated from a private all-boys school in Baltimore as valedictorian in 2016 before earning dual engineering degrees in 2020 at the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League university, according to school records. His last known address was in Honolulu, officials said.
Thompson's murder came amid the frustration of several Americans, who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs, or paid more for premiums and medical care.
Thompson, a father of two, became UnitedHealthcare's chief in 2021, which was supposedly part of a 20-year career with the company.
