Originally posted December 12, 2025.

As we conclude the second week of hearings in the case against Luigi Mangione, the prosecution has introduced substantial evidence since Luigi’s arrest on December 9th, 2024. This evidence raises a critical question: Did Luigi deliberately seek recognition as the United Healthcare CEO Shooter? Based on a thorough analysis of documents allegedly authored by Mangione and the evidence presented, I argue that the shooting of Brian Thompson should be interpreted not as an act of protest against a rank healthcare system but rather as a manifestation of ego and entitlement. Let’s go back to the beginning.

He didn’t wear gloves.

On December 4th, 2024, as United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson passed the Midtown Hilton Hotel, a masked assailant stepped onto the curb, raised his gun, and fired. Thompson was initially shot in the back of his leg, stumbled, and tried to brace himself against the wall of the hotel. The shooter then fired twice more. Thompson collapsed to the pavement, while the shooter walked toward him before lightly sprinting across the street. A photo of the shooting, taken at the scene right after, captures a critical detail. What do you notice?

The assailant wasn’t wearing gloves during the shooting. Earlier that day, at a nearby Starbucks, he also wasn’t wearing gloves when he purchased two protein bars and a bottle of water.

Just minutes before the shooting on December 4th, he was seen on camera placing something on a garbage heap while holding the water bottle, which he eventually discarded near the crime scene. Notably, he still wasn’t wearing gloves. CCTV footage from early that morning also captured him walking past another camera with his phone pressed to his ear. Once again, he had no gloves on.

A few days after Luigi Mangione was arrested on December 9th, reports confirmed his fingerprints matched those found on the water bottle, protein bar wrapper, and phone discarded at the crime scene on December 4th. He had been caught on camera handling the exact items later tied to him by fingerprint evidence. It’s as if he were leaving them a breadcrumb trail.

The choice not to wear gloves stands out. It suggests an intentional act, aligning with my argument that being identified was part of Luigi’s plan. Ensuring his prints were on the weapon would only help law enforcement build their case against him.

Now, let’s consider his actions after the crime.

Let’s move on from crime scene forensics and shift to Mangione’s escape from Manhattan. I wrote in a previous post about how impressed I was by how Luigi took law enforcement on a wild-goose chase before slipping out of The City by train, headed for Pennsylvania. Given how logical Luigi was said to be, it seemed natural for his next move to be getting as far away from New York City as possible.

No. Not our boy. He sat on a bus and took a scenic tour of Central PA for four days, eating greasy fast food, until he got picked up. He put so much thought into overwhelming The City’s surveillance system that it was deflating to see it all end with a whimper and a soggy hash brown. He had eight thousand dollars on him, along with a pair of tweezers, but he used neither to go back off the grid without being recognized.

Worth noting: At a hearing this week, we learned that among the “straggling” notes allegedly authored by Mangione was one about taking a Red-Eye flight from Pittsburgh to another destination. (See image below.) When he planned on doing this wasn’t clear.

He personally delivered his DNA to investigators.

After an extensive search of Central Park, the Police recovered a backpack believed to have been worn and later discarded by the suspect. Inside the bag was a wad of chewed gum. (Affirmation in response to Defendant’s Omnibus Motion. Page 4.)

His choices regarding appearance were equally surprising.

By December 8th, the public had a new photograph of the United Healthcare CEO shooting suspect, a masked man looking directly into the taxi cab’s camera, his sculpted, pronounced eyebrows unmistakable. Yet the next day, Mangione was apprehended in a McDonald’s after sitting for half an hour, wearing nearly the same outfit. The mask, the most distinctive part of his disguise, had drawn attention. At his arraignment in Blair County, PA, Luigi said he’d recently bought the masks found in his bag. This week, we learned he knew his eyebrows stood out. A checklist found on the back of a Pittsburgh map he carried when arrested included ‘pluck eyebrows.’ Why didn’t he act on this obvious giveaway?

Finally, let’s examine Luigi’s handling of incriminating evidence.

The biggest surprise at Luigi’s arrest was his failure to dispose of incriminating evidence, including a journal about the crime and the weapon itself. This is consistent with my argument that he intentionally left a trail to ensure his actions—and possibly his motivations—would be publicly known.

Which brings me to another data point on my list of reasons. Luigi was carrying four different ID cards. Yet when asked for identification, he gave them the name and card belonging to Mark Rosario, the alias he used when checking into the Upper West Hostel, where he stayed while in New York City, thereby providing police with proof he’d been in New York City on the day of the murder.

Then we have his journal entries. *facepalm*

In my most recent podcast episode, Jack Fox of the Never a Truer Word podcast and I review journal entries allegedly written by Mangione. I didn’t hear someone fed up with corporate greed. Whoever wrote the entries was more concerned with what kind of statement to make about our corrupt healthcare system and how it will be perceived than with the emotion behind it.

For example, in one journal entry, Mangione writes, ‘And most importantly—— by committing indiscriminate atrocities, he becomes a monster, which makes his ideas those of a monster, no matter how true. He crosses the line from revolutionary anarchist to terrorist-the worst thing a person can be,’ underscoring how the entries prioritize the anticipated public reaction over any explanation of his personal motives.

He wants to kill a man, but he doesn’t want people to think he’s a bad person because of it. My dude, pick a lane.

I need to make it clear that I’m perfectly okay if Luigi Mangione walks on a technicality or due to jury nullification. What I’m not okay with is that Luigi Mangione has amassed a massive following, mostly comprised of women, who are literally fighting for his life and giving their money to his defense fund. That last part is especially irksome given his privilege and wealth. Meanwhile, he’s sitting in court, mugging for the cameras and writing self-indulgent letters to supporters.

If killing Brian Thompson was about sending a message, Luigi has not delivered one. Since the moment he allegedly hatched this plan, he has continually incriminated himself. He knows that anything he says or puts to paper will be broadcast across social media, yet he isn’t using those letters to advocate for a better healthcare system. His silence on reform is not due to a desire to avoid self-incrimination, as his extensive documented admissions show. Many details have emerged from the suppression hearing, illustrating that he has routinely written down or disclosed sensitive information at inappropriate times.

I was a staunch supporter of Luigi at the start, believing his actions were driven by purpose. I spent the early days of the investigation questioning everything. How could he have ridden a bike over 100 blocks in 6 minutes? Who was the person ascending the subway stairs, and how could Luigi have been in two places at once? Now, it seems the real aim—intentionally focusing attention on himself—overshadows any intended message about corporate greed.

In my opinion, he’s being used as a scapegoat. I believe he’s been overcharged. Whether or not his backpack was improperly searched is for a judge to decide. Honestly, I’m struggling to follow that fuckery. I continue to try by watching the live tweets from the press and reading r/BryanThompsonMurder. Procedural uncertainties aside, my core argument still stands: Luigi’s actions reek of self-promotion.

It’s nearly impossible to find any content about the case that isn’t completely biased for or against Luigi. There’s a stark lack of objectivity in the work I consume about this case. Especially here. People will say others might view me as biased for thinking he’s an attention-seeking narcissist.

Yes. I have my opinions about Luigi. Based on everything I’ve reviewed - the journals, the letters, his tweets, his behavior in court - I think he’s driven by a desire for validation. There’s also the possibility of mental health issues at play, but nobody wants to talk about that, even though America makes the cost of mental health assistance so prohibitive that people go undiagnosed and untreated. My growing irritation with Mangione doesn’t mean I’m okay with his civil rights being trampled or that I don’t think he deserves a fair trial. Two things can be true at the same time. I’ll cheer as loud as anybody else if he’s found not guilty because of the message it will send. That message being: Those of us who struggle financially, physically, or mentally still have power, so don’t underestimate us.

Most disheartening is that this was the perfect opportunity to highlight the systemic issues with America’s healthcare system. Luigi is in the global spotlight right now. He has the chance to spread awareness and plant seeds. He could encourage supporters to call political representatives, write about their own experiences with needing coverage, and organize rallies. Instead, he writes about cannolis and playlists.

Enough with the posturing, Luigi. Use your privilege, or all of this was a waste. Instead of furthering the cause, Luigi’s apparent quest for attention has shifted focus to himself, diluting any constructive message about our broken healthcare system.

But the public narrative continues to focus on Luigi’s predicament. In the end, the only thing Luigi seems to have amplified is himself.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, a forensic psychiatrist, to unpack how mental-health defenses really work, including what Luigi Mangione’s potential mental-health defenses might look like and where they fall apart. We spend significant time on Bryan Kohberger, digging into the role of sadism, fantasy, control, and narcissistic traits, and why those patterns matter when people are searching for motive. We also pull comparisons to Bundy and BTK, exploring why the same psychological questions resurface across cases.

⌚Timestamp Breakdown

01:22 – 03:12 How forensic psychiatry works: profiling, ethics, pattern recognition.

03:12 – 07:56 Luigi Mangione case: deliberate violence, psychopathy vs sadism, why impulse and psychosis don’t fit.

07:56 – 11:59 Psychosis, manifestos, grandiosity, and how writings factor into mental health defenses.

11:59 – 17:53 Extreme Emotional Disturbance, insanity defenses, and why Luigi’s legal options are limited.

17:53 – 23:14 Brian Kohberger: motive-less violence, criminology obsession, and psychopathy frameworks.

23:14 – 29:45 Fan culture, hybristophilia, narcissism, control, and psychological sadism.

29:45 – 36:45 Fear, power, sexual sadism, and why Idaho looks different from Luigi’s case.

36:45 – 39:56 Final reflections, why “why” may be unknowable, bonus episode + wrap-up.

Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, M.D., is a psychiatrist and the CEO of Principium Psychiatry, a leading national mental health organization with offices in New York, Connecticut, California, and Florida. Principium’s multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and therapists provides comprehensive treatment across the full continuum of care, from psychotherapy and medication management to advanced interventional and forensic services. Under Dr. Cohen’s leadership, Principium has become known for integrating cutting-edge therapies such as TMS, ketamine and Spravato treatments, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, ECT, and IOP programs, while also expanding its expertise into civil and criminal forensic evaluations.

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zivcohen5150

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principiumpsychiatry/

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@principiumpsychiatry

I’ve been creating content online for over twenty years. I started as a blogger and writer, moved into video, and eventually podcasting. I’m also a woman, which means I’ve dealt with my fair share of unsolicited and often creepy attacks about my appearance, my weight, my age, and my single-ish status. Early on, I tried engaging. I debated. I explained. Sometimes I ignored it, which often made things worse. What experience taught me is simple: there are annoying people on the internet, and there are dangerous people on the internet. Knowing the difference matters.

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