Luigi Mangione, the suspect arrested in connection with the murder of a UnitedHealthcare executive, lost contact with some of his friends and family earlier this year, according to multiple news reports.
The loss of contact appeared to be related to back surgery Mangione underwent to treat chronic pain associated with a pinched nerve. RJ Martin, the founder of a Hawaii resort called Surfbreak, told Honolulu Civil Beat that Mangione lived in the community, near Honolulu’s Ala Moana Beach Park, for six months in 2022.
Martin described the man as an honest, community-oriented person and said he was surprised by the news of his arrest Monday, noting that he helped start a book club for residents.
But Martin said he suffered from persistent back pain, describing it as “misaligned vertebrae that pinch” his back. Martin’s spokesperson added to The Times that Mangione’s back injury has prevented him from playing and has affected his love life.
The two stayed in touch after Mangione left, and Mangione later posted photos after he had back surgery. Martin told Civil Beat the man “went radio silent in June or July” of this year.
A Goodreads profile like Mangione’s featured books on back pain and back surgery. The header image of an X account that appears to be linked to the man included an image of what appears to be a spinal X-ray.
Martin went on to tell Civil Beat this week he was shocked by the arrest, adding: “In some ways I feel like my members are my children.”
Luigi Mangione is seen in jail after his arrest on December 9, 2024 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Altoona Police Dept.
This sentiment was echoed by many of his acquaintances who spoke to the media on Monday.
Surfbreak resident Jackie Wexler described Mangione as “thoughtful and compassionate in everything he did” in an interview with Civil Beat.
And a former classmate, Aaron Cranston, also told The New York Times that he was texted earlier this year because Mangione’s family was trying to track him down. Cranston told the paper the message meant his family hadn’t heard from him in several months after back surgery.
Mangione was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a McDonald’s employee called the police. Authorities searched days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan in what police believe was a “premeditated, premeditated attack.”
He was charged with five counts in Pennsylvania, and prosecutors in New York charged him with murder.