Luigi Mangioneis the accused murderer Brian Thompson murder case, he was living his best life in the months leading up to the controversial shooting … enjoying an action-packed trip to Asia earlier this year.
A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ … they were on vacation with a friend in Krabi, Thailand, and ran into Mangione during a Muay Thai fight in April 2024. We’re told the trio hit it off and later reconnected to explore. city together and even plan a future trip.
The group split up briefly when Luigi left for Phuket and they headed to Malaysia, but the trio eventually reconnected in Thailand, starting their planned road trip that included stops in Khao Sok and Bangkok. :
The source says Mangione never acted strange during their time together … even describing the Ivy League grad as a “super friendly, outgoing and open” guy, according to several others who knew him.
While the source recalls Luigi mentioning something about a back injury during their travels … they say he didn’t share many details.
The injury didn’t seem to limit his activities, but we’re told he decided to sit out a ride one day after explaining he wasn’t feeling well.
In fact, in a video obtained by TMZ … Luigi, at least, appears to be pain-free while riding the back of a motorcycle in Thailand.
TMZ.com
As seen in the video, he was smiling widely and throwing a shaka sign… which seemed to indicate that he was having a good time.
We’re told the trio stayed in touch for a while after their adventure… A source says Mangione almost ran into them in Vietnam when they were there for a visit.
However, by May 2024, the source said, they lost contact with Mangione, who stopped responding to text messages.
The source emphasizes again that there was no indication of violent behavior…cases of expressing extreme opinions, worldviews or ideologies.
Their main point is that Luigi was easy to get along with and was basically a normal guy.
Mangione was accused of murder and gun charges related to Thompson’s fatal shooting last week.His attorney, Thomas Dickey, says Luigi intends to plead not guilty.
