Luigi Mangione's best friend and ex-classmates break silence after shocking CEO assassination and blindsiding arrest
Luigi Mangione's ex-classmates have spoken up about his character after the Ivy League graduate was identified as the UnitedHealthcare CEO's suspected killer.
50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in an execution-like killing last week in New York City. On Monday, the developing investigation led to 26-year-old Luigi Mangione’s arrest after being recognised at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
A so-called ghost gun, a mostly untraceable firearm, and a three-page handwritten manifesto indicating his “motivation and mindset” were discovered in his possession. According to numerous reports and school officials, the CEO murder suspect comes from a notable Baltimore family. Having attended The Gilman School, a private, all-boys high school in Baltimore, Mangione eventually went on to be named as the class valedictorian.
Down the line, the purported anti-capitalist Ivy League graduate attended the University of Pennsylvania. In 2020, he graduated with a master’s and bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics. On top of that, Stanford also confirmed that someone with Mangione’s name previously served as a head counsellor at the college under the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program between May and September of 2019.
Luigi Mangione's best friend and former classmates speak up
Following his arrest, a good number of his former classmates have stepped up to discuss what they thought they knew about the 26-year-old during their time together. Similarly, Tracy Le, a New York-based data analyst who is believed to be Mangione’s best friend, did her best to defend his character while delving into how the scandal had “shaken” her up.
According to The US Sun, Tracy broke her silence on social media hours after officials identified Mangione as Thompson’s suspected shooter. In a lengthy address, she wrote on her Instagram Story, “Luigi Mangione is probably the most googled keyword today. When I first saw the news, I was hoping it was just either a common name or a mistake.”
She added, “Because it was, for a while, the only name whose FaceTime calls I would pick up. Luigi was one of my best, closest and most trusted friends. He was absolutely #1 in my group chat named ‘Tracey’s favourites.'”
“He was whom I always came to for identity crisis rants, relationship problems, career complaints. And always left feeling better.” Further painting Luigi’s character sketch, she noted, “He was caring, and smart, and mature, and sweet, and so considerate. I would visit him and always 100% depended on him to plan the trips and always 100% believed we would have the best time.”
Eventually addressing how the news related to her pal had affected her, she concluded, “I am shaken, I am blindsided, but most of all, I am sad. I am heartbroken. I am overwhelmed.”
The American news outlet also observed that Tracy and Luigi shared the space in numerous Instagram photos, some of which were taken in Honolulu, Hawaii, in April 2022 with other friends. At the time, they were reportedly staying at Surfbreak, a co-living space near Ala Moana Beach Park.
Ex-classmates from UnitedHealthcare CEO's suspected killer's all-boys school talk
In addition to Tracy Le’s account of Mangione, a former classmate told the news outlet that Luigi was a well-educated, “popular” student with a “big circle of friends.” Although the suspected killer and his ex-classmate, who asked for his anonymity to be maintained, said that they went to the same school, they didn’t have the same friends. “I’m really shocked by this whole thing,” he added. The former student also revealed that Mangione possibly played soccer. “It was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure.” In light of the recent incident, the classmate said that despite what he may have done now, he wasn’t a “weird shit-in, incel type” of guy back in the day.
Another former classmate, Freddie Leatherbury, told the Associated Press about Mangione’s wealthy family: “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him.” Meanwhile, a third ex-schoolmate, who introduced themselves as his close pal to CBS News, said that the shooting suspect “didn’t have any enemies” and was a “valedictorian for a reason.”
Corey Wey, a fourth former classmate, told FOX 10 Phoenix that Mangione was “a leader in our class.”
“Everyone just knew him as a quiet, reserved, nice kid, and he was obviously really intelligent and everyone can tell that by his resume, of course,” he said of Luigi’s personality. Addressing Mangione’s involvement in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing, Wey added, “My initial reactions were just shocked, surprised, and I would just never suspect someone who went to our school to be involved in this. So, it was just shock, really. I’m really shocked.”
Charges against Luigi Mangione
Before being nabbed on Monday, Altoona police officers “immediately recognised him as the suspect” at a McDonald’s joint when he pulled his mask down. An employee at the fast food restaurant intimated the police. Official documents state that Mangione handed out a fake ID when asked for identification. On further being probed about his connection to New York, he “became quiet and started to shake.”
According to CNN, the murderous suspect has been charged with murder in New York. He is also facing four other charges, including one count of forging a document and criminally possessing a firearm.
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