Police officials says the suspect’s writings speak to wanting to use a gun rather than a potential explosive device, like a bomb, to kill the healthcare CEO. Officials also said the forensic evidence gathered so far is a direct match to the suspect and the alleged murder weapon. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
The 26-year-old Ivy League grad accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street was carrying a notebook that may lend further insight into his mindset and alleged motivation, two sources familiar with the investigation said Wednesday.
In it, Luigi Mangione allegedly wrote about wanting to target a CEO at a conference with a gun, and preferring that method to other means, like a bomb, to mitigate risk to others, according to the sources.
They said the notebook had writings including: “What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention. It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents.”
He allegedly had the notebook in addition to a three-page document that said in part, "frankly these parasites had it coming," referencing the healthcare industry, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the case has said.
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The senior official said a day ago the writings also include alleged claims the suspect acted alone in the killing of the 50-year-old executive, who was gunned down as he walked to a midtown hotel where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference a week ago Wednesday.
Another line from the 300-word rant allegedly says, "I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done," according to the senior law enforcement official.
Investigators say the note did specifically call out UnitedHealthcare, as well as the broader healthcare industry in the United States and large corporations in general, senior law enforcement officials said. There are also concerns that the writings could cause others to act out in a similar capacity.
Because of the potential for it to set off a "contagion," the murder of Thompson resembles a domestic terror attack, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner.
"I think regardless of what the courts determine the motivation to be, the impact is similar to that of a domestic terror attack, and that is already being reflected in this torrent of online vitriol that we’ve been in the midst of since last Wednesday and the lionization of the alleged perpetrator of the murder as a hero,” Weiner said. "When we are concerned about terrorism, it is in part because of the outsized impact of a particular act of violence. This one has all the hallmarks of something that is going to inspire and contribute to the contagion effect."
The comments came as disturbing "WANTED" posters targeting other healthcare executives were seen put up in Manhattan.
Earlier Wednesday, a senior law enforcement official said fingerprints taken from Mangione matched some found near the midtown crime scene. Authorities had taken several key pieces of evidence from the area in the hours after the shooting.
Roughly a half hour before the shooting, video from a Starbucks location in midtown Manhattan showed the masked-up killer buying a bottle of water and a KIND bar. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that fingerprints from Mangione matched those on a KIND bar wrapper found near the scene of the shooting.
The gun found on the suspect when he was arrested Monday was sent to the NYPD, according to Tisch. The department confirmed there was a ballistics-related match as well, with shell casings from the scene of the shooting matching those found in the weapon.
Investigators are working to bring Mangione to New York City to face second-degree murder charges in Thompson's death. He is contesting extradition and plans to plead not guilty to charges in New York and Pennsylvania, his lawyer says.
At Tuesday's extradition hearing, defense attorney Thomas Dickey professed outside court, "You can't rush to judgment in this case or any case. He's presumed innocent. Let's not forget that...You have to presume him to be innocent. And none of us would want anything other than that if that were us in those shoes."
