Luigi Mangione got beaten up by 7 ‘ladyboys’ in Thailand months before UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting
Luigi Mangione appearing in court for a hearing last month. Steven Hirsch
Luigi Mangione, 27, reportedly had a tumultuous night out in Thailand months before he allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a New York Times report.
Texts reviewed by the outlet suggest Mangione shared with friends over WhatsApp details of his chaotic nightlife while backpacking through Asia before returning to the U.S. in July 2024. In one message, he claimed he was beaten by seven “ladyboys” – a colloquial term for transgender women – in Bangkok and included a photo of his scratched and bruised arm.
Mangione, an Ivy League-educated tech professional from a wealthy Maryland family, began his solo trip abroad early in 2024. Along the way, he befriended soccer player Christian Sacchini and another companion. Sacchini told the Times that Mangione initially discussed video games and Pokémon before launching into a critique of the U.S. healthcare system, expressing disbelief at the low cost of medical procedures in Thailand.
Later, Mangione traveled to the Mount Omine mountains in Japan, seeking solitude to “meditate” and “do some writing” near a hot spring. Reports from locals and fellow travelers suggest he shifted from seeking connection to isolating himself, while allegedly fixating on plans to make a dramatic statement against perceived insurance injustices.
Juntaro Mihara, owner of a guesthouse in Tenkawa where Mangione stayed for six days, described him as quiet and largely disengaged from others. After returning to San Francisco in July, Mangione reportedly went off the grid, ignoring messages and disappearing from social media.
A diary entry from August, reviewed by the Times, suggests Mangione was consumed by thoughts of targeting what he viewed as insurance industry wrongdoing. “The details are finally coming together. And I don’t feel any doubt about whether it’s right/justified,” he wrote.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges in the Dec. 4, 2024, shooting of Thompson, 50, outside UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference in Midtown Manhattan. Authorities recovered shell casings at the scene marked with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose.”
He was arrested in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and Mangione has gained a following among online supporters who have praised the alleged attack.
Mangione is scheduled to appear in federal court on Dec. 5. No trial date has been set.
About Post Author
