Did alleged UnitedHealthcare killer Luigi Mangione travel to Pittsburgh before his Dec. 9 arrest in Altoona, Pa.? Local law enforcement isn’t so sure.
“It appears – unless some new information comes to light – that he did not make it here at all,” said Pittsburgh Police public information officer Cara Cruz.
During a Dec. 9 evening press conference at the Blair County Courthouse, held shortly after Mangione's arraignment, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserted that the alleged killer had traveled to Pittsburgh before his arrest earlier that morning at an Altoona-area McDonald’s.
“You should know that this suspect traveled between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, making stops in between,” said Shapiro.
When asked for more information by members of the media, PA State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens asserted that the investigation was still ongoing: “Yes, we do have a good idea how he got from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, but there are some gaps in time,” he said.
Cruz said that this Dec. 9 press conference was the first time Pittsburgh police had heard Mangione spent time in the city prior to his Altoona arrest, and city police detectives “proactively followed up on that information” after state authorities conveyed that information to the public.
“If any new information comes to light or Pittsburgh Police are asked by our law enforcement partners to participate in the investigation, we will certainly do so,” said Cruz.
State police spokesperson Myles Snyder said that “Pennsylvania State Police continues to seek the public’s help in gathering information on Luigi Mangione’s travel and recent whereabouts in Pennsylvania. We have no further updates at this time.”
Governor Shapiro’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Mangione’s whereabouts after allegedly shooting and killing Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4 until his Dec. 9 arrest in Altoona remain unknown. On Friday, Dec. 13, WPVI-TV Philadelphia reported that law enforcement sources believe Mangione left New York City for Philadelphia by train, not bus, as originally believed.
Mangione waived extradition on Thursday, Dec. 19 and arrived in New York later that afternoon to face charges for Thompson’s killing, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, and more. He had already been charged in Pennsylvania with carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, and more.
Mangione also faces federal charges. On Dec. 19, the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District New York, charged Mangione with the stalking and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as well as the use of a silencer in a crime of violence. The most serious charges are eligible for the death penalty.
Since Thompson’s shooting, Pittsburgh’s two major health insurers have scrubbed executive leadership photos from their respective websites, following a national trend, as some members of the public hail Mangione as a folk hero, reflecting widespread public disapproval of the American health insurance industry.
