He was arrested Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and was allegedly carrying a gun, bullets, several fake IDs and cash.
Mr. Mangione also had a handwritten document that expressed “ill will” toward corporate America and contained passages such as “honestly, these parasites are up to it,” according to the police.
Investigators say shell casings found at the scene of Mr. Thompson’s murder had the words “deny,” “defend” and “drop” written on them.
Critics of health insurers call it the “three D’s of insurance,” a tactic companies use to deny patients’ demands for payment.
Mr. Mangione comes from a prominent Baltimore-area family known for businesses including country clubs, nursing homes and a radio station, according to local media.
The suspect’s paternal grandparents, Nicholas and Mary Mangione, were property developers who bought Turf Valley Country Club in 1978 and Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley in 1986.
Shortly after Mr. Mangione was charged, his cousin, Republican lawmaker Nino Mangione, released a statement saying the family was “shocked and devastated.”
“We are praying for the family of Brian Thompson and we ask that people pray for everyone involved,” the statement said.
Thomas Maronic, a lawyer who knows the family members, told the BBC of his shock at the allegations.
“You wouldn’t think someone of privilege or means from a family known for doing so much for the community would do something like that.”
Mr. Mangione attended a private all-boys high school in Baltimore called The Gilman School, where he was an honor usually given to the student with the highest academic achievement in his class.
Speaking to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, one of his classmates said Mr Mangione “had no enemies” and was “a fan for a reason”.
