It was barely light out. 6:44 a.m. on a Wednesday in December 2024. Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was walking toward the New York Hilton Midtown. He was there for an investor conference. He didn't have a security detail. He was just a man in a suit on a Manhattan sidewalk.
Then everything changed. A masked gunman stepped out from behind a car. He didn't hesitate. He opened fire with a suppressed 9mm pistol. Even when the gun jammed, the shooter stayed calm. He cleared the jam and kept firing. Thompson was hit in the back and leg. He died shortly after at Mount Sinai West.
The city was stunned. This wasn't a random mugging. This was a targeted execution.
The Words on the Bullets
Honestly, the most chilling part of the whole thing wasn't just the shooting itself. It was what detectives found on the ground. The shell casings weren't plain. They had words written on them in permanent marker.
"Deny." "Defend." "Depose."
If you've ever dealt with insurance companies, those words probably sound familiar. They’re a play on "Delay, Deny, Defend," a phrase often used to describe how insurers allegedly avoid paying out claims. It turned a murder investigation into something much larger—a flashpoint for national anger over the American healthcare system.
👉 See also: Why Trump's West Point Speech Still Matters Years Later
Who is Luigi Mangione?
The manhunt lasted five days. It ended at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. A customer noticed a guy who looked like the photos all over the news. He was eating a steak sandwich and using the Wi-Fi.
When police approached him, he gave them a fake New Jersey ID. It was the same name—Mark Rosario—he used to check into a hostel on the Upper West Side before the shooting. But when they searched his backpack? That’s where things got real. They found a 3D-printed gun, a silencer, and a handwritten manifesto.
Luigi Mangione wasn't your typical "criminal." He was 26, Ivy League educated, and came from a wealthy Maryland family. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s in computer science. He’d worked at Firaxis Games. He had no prior criminal record.
But his writings told a different story. He spoke about his "disdain" for health insurers. He talked about "wacking" an executive. He apparently had been suffering from chronic back pain, which some speculate might have fueled his resentment toward the medical industry.
The Legal Battle in 2026
Fast forward to today, January 2026. The case is still a mess of legal filings.
✨ Don't miss: Johnny Somali AI Deepfake: What Really Happened in South Korea
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. The federal government is pushing for the death penalty, citing "murder through use of a firearm." This is a huge point of contention. New York state doesn't have the death penalty—it was ruled unconstitutional back in 2004. But since these are federal charges, it's a different ballgame.
His lawyers are fighting tooth and nail. They want to throw out the evidence found in that backpack, arguing the search was illegal. They’re also trying to get the federal murder charge dismissed on technical grounds.
There's also the public image side of this. It’s wild. At his court hearings, you’ll see people wearing green—a color associated with his cause—carrying "Free Luigi" signs. To some, he’s a murderer who took a father away from his family. To others, he’s become a sort of folk hero representing the "lived experience" of people crushed by medical debt and denied claims.
The Fallout for UnitedHealth
UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurer in the country. Since Thompson’s death, the company has had to rethink everything. Security is tighter. Public relations is in overdrive.
But the shooting also forced a conversation nobody wanted to have. It’s hard to talk about the tragedy of a man being gunned down while simultaneously acknowledging the massive public frustration that led to people "cheering" for the shooter online. It’s a dark, complicated intersection of corporate power and individual desperation.
🔗 Read more: Sweden School Shooting 2025: What Really Happened at Campus Risbergska
What Happens Next?
The trial hasn't started yet. Judge Margaret Garnett is still weighing motions. We’re likely months away from a jury actually sitting in a box.
If you’re following this case, here are the key things to keep an eye on:
- The Suppression Hearing: If the judge rules the backpack search was illegal, the 3D-printed gun and the manifesto might never see the light of day in court. That would be a massive blow to the prosecution.
- The Death Penalty Ruling: Will the federal government actually follow through? Seeking the death penalty in a state that has abolished it is a politically charged move.
- The Motive Argument: Prosecutors will lean heavily on the "premeditated" nature of the crime—the months of stalking, the fake IDs, and the specific choice of the investor conference.
It's a story that started with a CEO gunned down in NYC and turned into a trial of the entire American healthcare complex. Whether you see Mangione as a cold-blooded killer or a radicalized product of a broken system, the outcome of this case will set a precedent for years to come.
Stay informed by checking the Southern District of New York (SDNY) court dockets for the latest filings in United States v. Mangione.