Suspect charged with murder in shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO

A man suspected in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been arrested and charged with murder after a quick-thinking McDonald’s customer in Pennsylvania recognized him from a surveillance photo and police officers found a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush.

The chance sighting at the restaurant in Altoona led to a dramatic break in a challenging but fast-moving investigation that captivated the public in the five days since the shooting that shook the business world.

Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Brian Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police say.

Late last night, Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Mangione, according to an online court docket. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

In his backpack, police found a black, 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed black silencer, the complaint said. Such ghost guns can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace. The pistol had a metal slide and plastic handle with a metal threaded barrel.