Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Linked to GOP Lawmaker

Luigi Mangione, a person of interest in the targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is the cousin of Baltimore County Delegate Nino Mangione, a Maryland Republican.

The office of Nino Mangione, who represents District 42A, confirmed the familial relation between the GOP lawmaker and the 26-year-old suspect, WBAL reported.

The suspect, Luigi Mangione, is a Maryland native and former valedictorian of the Gilman School's Class of 2016. He earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of a prominent family that owns Turf Valley Resort, Hayfields Country Club, and a Maryland radio station.

The New York Police Department identified Mangione as a person of interest in the brazen attack that occurred Wednesday, Dec. 4, near the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. Authorities described the killing as a "premeditated, targeted" assault, with the suspect allegedly lying in wait for Thompson, who was attending UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference.

Mangione was apprehended Monday at an Altoona, Pennsylvania-area McDonald's with a firearm believed to match the weapon used in the attack, along with a silencer, fake IDs, and clothing consistent with the suspect's description. Police also recovered a manifesto containing criticisms of the health insurance industry.

"This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation," Henry Smyth, head of the Gilman School, said in a letter to the school community.

NYPD detectives are coordinating with Pennsylvania authorities as the investigation into Thompson's killing continues. Mangione has no prior arrest history in New York but has ties to Maryland, California, and Hawaii.

Originally published on Latin Times.

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Shooting, Maryland, GOP