Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione may have found love behind bars, new book claims
The revelation comes in Luigi: The Making and The Meaning, a new title by journalist John H Richardson and published by Simon & Schuster
By Callum Wells
Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has reportedly hinted at a new romantic connection while awaiting trial – despite having never dated before his arrest.
The revelation comes in Luigi: The Making and The Meaning, a new book by journalist John H Richardson and published by Simon & Schuster, which explores the life of the man who became an unlikely internet fascination after his mugshot went viral.
Richardson writes that Mangione had “never once had a girlfriend” and often spoke about feeling isolated. “He was alienated and often talked of loneliness,” the author notes, describing friends’ accounts of a man who was both personable and flirtatious yet seemingly unable to form romantic attachments.
Ahead of his 27th birthday, Mangione listed “27 things” he was grateful for
But a journal entry written in custody suggests a possible change. Ahead of his 27th birthday, Mangione listed “27 things” he was grateful for – beginning with “friends, family and ‘for [REDACTED – my personal life is none of your business!]’”.
The remark has prompted speculation that Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, stalking and firearms charges, may have found companionship while behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York.
Before his arrest, those close to him described a pattern of emotional intimacy without romance. Former University of Pennsylvania classmate Jackie Wexler told Richardson that the pair would go for mile-long walks on the beach during their time living in shared housing in Hawaii, having “deep conversations” but never sharing a kiss.
Friends said Mangione often sought connection but struggled to find it
Another friend, Tracey Le, recalled that Mangione planned trips for the two of them but that “nothing physical happened”. Videos posted online show them laughing, hugging and at one point, Le resting her head on his thigh.
Friends said Mangione often sought connection but struggled to find it. “He was always keeping everybody’s energy up,” one high school acquaintance said. Others speculated that he “might have been shy”.
Mangione attended Baltimore’s Gilman School before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania, where he joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. In a Facebook post from that time, one admirer commented: “Hot damn. Are you single? You make us engineers have hope!” Mangione replied: “Despite my best efforts… yup still single.”
After graduating, he moved to Hawaii and was active on Tinder until a 2022 surfing accident left him with a serious back injury. His friend R J Martin, founder of the Surfbreak co-living community, told Richardson: “He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible.”
Reports that Mangione filmed several “highly stylised sex tapes” surfaced earlier this year
Social media posts from that period show Mangione reflecting on masculinity and loneliness. In one he reshared a quote criticising singles events, and in another he asked, “What are men good for?” He also defended pornography online, writing: “Porn should be regulated no less than alcohol, cigarettes and travel.”
Reports that Mangione filmed several “highly stylised sex tapes” surfaced earlier this year, with one insider claiming, “There are at least 20 videos of him having sex that he filmed and wanted to be watched… He got off on it.”
Writer Gurwinder Bhogal, a friend of Mangione’s, told Richardson he spoke to the accused killer on video call the day before his 26th birthday. “He felt other people were on a different wavelength,” Bhogal said, adding that Mangione encouraged him to start a “social club for like-minded people.”
Mangione was arrested five days after Thompson was shot dead outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2024. He remains in custody, awaiting trial.