After some sharp eyes at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s called authorities, police arrested 26 year old Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

So, who exactly is Luigi Mangione, and why would he allegedly murder a man in cold blood on a Manhattan sidewalk? There’s a simple explanation, and then there is the longer one. This is the simple one.

A rich kid went psychotic and shot a father of two, son of a grain elevator operator, who worked his way up to be an insurance executive.

That appears to be the story. pic.twitter.com/mxDGnX1Bw4

— Zach Weissmueller (@TheAbridgedZach) December 10, 2024

Lost in this entire story is that Brian Thompson himself was not born wealthy, and that his murder has left behind a wife and two children. Having worked in health insurance (data entry, not very glamorous), I can tell you with absolute certainty that Thompson had zero idea who Luigi Mangione was. Health insurance CEOs are not the ones making the final determinations on claims, or procedure approval or denial. That kind of stuff is not what they deal with. But somehow, Thompson has become the receptacle for the left’s undying hatred of corporations and the healthcare system. So not only has his murder been greeted with some pretty sick glee by too many in the media and academia, they are also looking for any reason at all to excuse the killer’s actions.

But what are they going to think when the alleged murderer is far more like them than they want to acknowledge? Luigi Mangione was born into a well-off family in Maryland, went to private school, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (oh look, another Poison Ivy), and has a cousin who is currently in the Maryland legislature. His life story definitely reads as “rich kid” with prominent connections.

The question then becomes, what happened to Luigi Mangione, and what was his motive?

Mangione’s mother reported him missing Nov. 18 — possibly from a home in San Francisco, law enforcement sources told The Post.

The suspect, who was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and a last known address in Honolulu, according to cops.

Meanwhile, one of his former classmates at the Gilman School in Baltimore told the New York Times that Mangione’s peers were forwarded a message earlier this year because the suspect’s family was trying to find him.

The classmate, Aaron Cranston, said the message indicated Mangione hadn’t been in touch with relatives since undergoing back surgery several months prior, the outlet reported.

Meanwhile, RJ Martin, a friend and former roommate in Hawaii, told CNN that Mangione had previously spoken of his back issues.

“When I first interviewed him, before he moved in, I remember he said he had a back issue, and he was hoping to get stronger in Hawaii,” Martin said.

The roommate said Mangione’s back issues were so “traumatic and difficult” that one basic surfing lesson left him bedridden for a week.

When he underwent surgery, Martin said, his friend sent him images of the X-rays.

“It looked heinous, with just giant screws going into his spine,” he said.

It comes as sources said Mangione may have held a grudge against the UnitedHealthcare executive because of his interactions with the medical industry — pointing to an X-ray photo on his X account showing four pins in a spine.

Mangione also had five books involving chronic back pain on his reading list on his Goodreads account.

It seems that everyone willing to speak to the media is pointing at the back surgery as the pivotal moment for Luigi Mangione and everything that came afterward.

Apparently the alleged shooter had back surgery a few months ago and went missing. No one had heard from him.

He also has what appears to be a back surgery X Ray in his X header.

This is wild pic.twitter.com/6kyiVnjXOM

— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) December 9, 2024

Allegedly, Luigi Mangione had a spinal condition that led to the back surgery.

A Reddit poster believed to be Mangione spoke of how he had lived with a back condition called spondylolisthesis since childhood.

Spondylolisthesis sees a bone in the spine, known as a vertebra, slip out. The condition usually affects the lower back and can be extremely painful.

Also posted by the same Reddit user were complaints about Lyme disease and severe brain fog.

The user said he’d begun to suffer the issues during his fraternity ‘hell week’ and that his grades had subsequently slipped.

The Reddit user believed to be Mangione said a subsequent surfing accident had left him with a ‘locked up’ back and hips.

He added that ‘intermittent numbness has become constant’ and added: ‘I’m terrified of the implications.’

Weeks after that, the user believed to be Mangione said he’d undergone spinal surgery which he said had improved his symptoms.

Obviously, there are a whole lot of missing pieces in the story that will eventually be filled in, and the key one will be why Mangione targeted Brian Thompson as the focal point for his rage. Apparently, his “manifesto” claims he acted alone and serves as a confession.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate who was arrested Monday on local charges in Altoona, Pa., authored a three-page document, expressing “some ill will toward corporate America,” New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said.

“To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” Mangione wrote, according to law enforcement — who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

“I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming,” he added later, the AP reported.

And Mangione may end up being a defense lawyer’s worst nightmare, given how he’s opening his mouth when he sees cameras.

His family can likely afford a good defense attorney, and the first instruction is always “STOP TALKING.”

Dude is gonna be a fucking mess in court. He’s very confident that he’s smarter than everyone and a martyr so he’s going to try to grandstand. https://t.co/vTwZT5snaI

— Sunny (@sunnyright) December 10, 2024

Luigi Mangione is currently being held without bail in Pennsylvania, and is now contesting his extradition back to New York to face murder charges. Now that he is in custody, it seems he wants to be the center of attention.

While we are certain to learn a lot more about this guy in the days to come, the real story will be how the media, and far too many who consider themselves “tolerant” leftists, are totally fine with a cold-blooded assassination. It doesn’t speak well of our society that this is where we are now. The debates about health insurance, how Obamacare changed everything, and the leftist belief that they will get everything they want with universal healthcare are all issues for debate. Executing people because you don’t like the job they have, and people cheering you on for committing murder? We are in a dark, dark place.

Featured image: booking photo of Luigi Mangione, via the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections X account, cropped and modified