(NewsNation) — The man charged in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was “brilliant-minded” and “very popular” in high school, an anonymous classmate tells NewsNation.
“He was the valedictorian of our high school, but he didn’t put in much effort at all. He would sit there in class, not study after school, and aced the tests,” the classmate said on “CUOMO.”
According to class records, Mangione attended a private high school in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to academic feats, he was also a wrestler.
“[Mangione] was an extraordinary mind. He was a very popular person in the class,” he added. “Had a lot of friends. It’s just shocking that he would commit such a heinous act.”
R.J. Martin, who was roommates with Mangione at a coliving space in Hawaii, met Mangione when he was already in his 20s.
Martin tells NewsNation that he, like many others in the community, was looking to enjoy the tropics and live healthier — namely, healing a bad back, Mangione told him.
“I don’t know if it was an injury or preexisting, (but) he was doing everything he could to, you know, not be in pain when he moved in at Surfbreak [Coliving],” Martin said.
Martin’s experience echoes Mangione’s high school reputation, with the roommate describing him as “a kind person, great listener, somebody that you know you would enjoy having a cup of coffee with.”
“And I just can’t imagine that this is the same person,” Martin said, calling the incident “unimaginable.”
Martin emphasized that while he and Mangione had discussed health care before, it never teetered toward violent ideation.
“Most people are aware that many of the systems that we live within don’t benefit us as well as they could. And you know, those are normal intellectual conversations and discussions that we have,” Martin said. “And he and I had many of those kinds of intellectual conversations, but never anything remotely towards violence. He was never aggressive. I never even remember him once being upset.”
Mangione’s anonymous classmate pointed to him as someone who was “capable of running or starting their own biotech firm that could have helped cure some of these illnesses.”
“I want to know why he thought there was no other way. … The fact that that mind is now going to spend, likely, the rest of their life in prison is very sad,” he added.
Luigi Mangione named person of interest in UnitedHealthcare shooting
Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Mangione late Monday night.
He remains in Pennsylvania jail. He was arrested Monday on forgery charges in Pennsylvania after questioning by authorities, according to a police briefing on Monday evening in the Keystone State.
His Monday arraignment saw his bail denied, and a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 23.
In Pennsylvania, Mangione was charged with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, having “instruments of a crime,” tampering with records or information and false identification to law enforcement.
The NYPD released Mangione’s name at a press conference later that day.
Investigators said Mangione matched the description of the ID they were searching for and was found in possession of several items they believe would connect him to the shooting.
Those allegedly include a mask, firearm, suppressor and fake New Jersey ID that was used to check into a hostel in New York. Police described the firearm as consistent with the one used to shoot Thompson.
Investigators said the gun appeared to be a ghost gun, a term for a gun with no serial number, which may have been made on a 3D printer and capable of firing a 9mm round.
Police also recovered a handwritten document that speaks to his motivation and mindset.
Mangione has no prior arrests on his record.
NewsNation’s Safia Samee Ali contributed to this report.
