Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old executive at UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot on December 4 near the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
The masked shooter reportedly came up behind the CEO and fired shots that struck his right calf and back.
Authorities have now apprehended and charged Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, after locating him at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, during the ongoing manhunt for the suspect.
According to CBS News, Mangione, who grew up in Maryland, completed his studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.
A representative from Penn shared with the outlet that Mangione earned both a Master of Science in Engineering with a focus on computer and information science and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, specializing in computer science with a minor in mathematics.
His LinkedIn profile indicates that the 26-year-old worked as a teaching assistant and also established a club focused on video game development.
In the summer of 2019, Mangione reportedly served as a head counselor for a pre-collegiate studies program at Stanford University in California.
A former classmate of the suspect shared with the Associated Press that the 26-year-old hails from a wealthy family and 'had everything going for him.'
Speaking to the news agency, the classmate said: "He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I'd known about him in high school."
According to Reuters, Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives for the New York Police Department, stated that Mangione has no prior criminal record in New York.
Mugshot Of CEO Shooting Suspect Released – Sparks Unanimous Reactions OnlineCNN reports that Mangione was once highly active on social media, frequently posting pictures from his travels, updates about his weightlifting routine, and details about his health struggles.
He also openly shared books he had read or planned to read, including an enthusiastic review of the Unabomber Manifesto on a book-related website.
However, during the summer, he seemed to stop posting online altogether, which reportedly raised concerns among some of his friends.
On one of his profiles, someone apparently commented: "Hey, are you OK? Nobody has heard from you in months, and apparently, your family is looking for you."
When Mangione was arrested, he was reportedly carrying a "ghost gun," an untraceable firearm, along with a handwritten document that hinted at his "motivation and mindset," according to the BBC.
Court records state that Altoona police discovered Mangione at a McDonald's. He was seated wearing a blue medical mask, using a laptop, and carrying a backpack.
Reports indicate that he was in possession of several fake IDs and a U.S. passport. One of the IDs is believed to match the fraudulent New Jersey identification used by the shooting suspect to check into a Manhattan hotel prior to the murder.
According to the affidavit, when Mangione was questioned about whether he had recently been to New York, he "became quiet and started to shake."
The 26-year-old revealed his true name after being informed he would be arrested for providing a false identity.
When asked why he had lied about his name, Mangione reportedly replied: "I clearly shouldn't have."
After Mangione's arrest, his mugshot quickly went viral, with people across the internet making the same remark.
Despite the serious charges against him, many seem unfazed, flooding social media with comments praising the 26-year-old's appearance.
One person even wrote: "What jail? Put me in there with him now!"
Another person chimed in: "Suddenly I want to go to jail."
A third remarked: "Why does his mugshot look like a magazine cover?"
Someone else commented: "He is a handsome young man."
Mangione has been denied bail, and his attorney has stated that he plans to fight his extradition to New York, a legal process that could reportedly take over a month to resolve.
