Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting of Brian Thompson, suffered a severe back injury that left him unable to have sex, according to a former roommate. RJ Martin, who shared a co-living space in Hawaii with the 26-year-old for six months, revealed to The New York Times that Mangione endured major, hidden pain.
This came as it was revealed that Mangione, 26, was reported missing by his family members last month after they lost contact with him following the back surgery. Mangione was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a McDonald’s employee recognized him as resembling the suspect wanted for last week’s bold shooting outside a Manhattan hotel.
Fighting Hidden Pain
X
“He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible,” Martin told The Times, adding, “I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks.”
Martin said that Mangione’s back condition, known as spondylolisthesis, was aggravated by a surfing accident. Martin said: “His spine was kind of misaligned. He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve.”
X
Martin told CNN that Mangione, whom he described as a talented engineer, endured severe pain throughout his six-month stay at SurfBreak in 2022.
He said that just one surf lesson left Mangione “in bed for a week,” adding, “It was really traumatic and difficult, you know, when you’re in your early twenties and you can’t, you know, do some basic things.”
Martin said that Mangione and other residents at the co-living space often discussed health issues and capitalism. However, he insisted that Mangione never came across as angry or radicalized.
He also said that Mangione rarely complained about his back pain and didn’t appear to be using painkillers.
Mangione’s health problems are said to have affected his professional life as well. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked as an engineer at online car sales company TrueCar.
A Reddit user believed to be Mangione shared that he had dealt with spondylolisthesis, a condition where a vertebra in the spine slips out of place, causing severe pain, since childhood. The condition typically impacts the lower back.
In the same Reddit post, the user also talked about his struggles with Lyme disease and persistent brain fog. He explained that these issues began during his fraternity’s “hell week,” and his academic performance suffered as a result.
Sharing His Struggles Secretly
The Reddit user, also believed to be Mangione, also described a surfing accident that left his back and hips “locked up,” with intermittent numbness has become constant,” and added, “I’m terrified of the implications.”
X
Weeks later, the user believed to be Mangione said he has undergone spinal surgery, which he said had helped alleviate his symptoms. The surgery likely cost tens of thousands of dollars, but it’s unclear whether he had any health insurance coverage.
There was no mention of UnitedHealthcare, the company whose CEO Mangione is accused of killing on a Manhattan street on December 4.
Mangione shared an X-ray photo on his X profile, showing multiple screws in his spine. Martin, his former roommate from Hawaii, recalled that Mangione had sent him a similar photo, which he described as looking “heinous,” before they lost contact earlier this year.
Mangione was arrested while dining at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, early Monday and was arraigned in a local court later that night. He is set to be extradited to New York City, where he faces murder charges.
Authorities found that Mangione was carrying a manifesto in which he labeled health insurance companies as ‘parasites’ who “had it coming.”
Hailing from a wealthy background, Mangione’s grandfather was a self-made multimillionaire who owned a luxury resort, nursing homes, and a radio station.
X
Mangione attended the prestigious Gilman prep school in Baltimore, where he graduated as the valedictorian in 2016, with tuition costing $40,000 per year. His classmates said he was a talented student and also a brilliant athlete.
A video that circulated online following his arrest shows him speaking confidently and eloquently on stage, with his former classmate Aaron Cranston describing him as exceptionally bright.
His family has expressed their condolences to the Thompson family and asked for privacy during this difficult time.
