While the CEO of United Healthcare was shot more than 600 miles away in New York, the suspect’s family has been involved in the Charleston arts community, as well as the College of Charleston.
The mother of 26-year-old suspect Luigi Mangione, Kathy Mangione, served on the advisory board of the Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival in Charleston for nearly a decade, according to festival officials. They say she began in 2014 when the festival was affiliated with the College of Charleston and “for her own various reasons” hasn’t been involved for the past two years.
One of Kathy Mangione’s daughters graduated from the College of Charleston in 2014 with a degree in International Business. The family reportedly bought property in downtown Charleston shortly after.
No word on how much time the prominent Baltimore family spends in Charleston as they are now dealing with the arrest of one of their own.
Luigi Mangione was taken into custody Monday after an eyewitness spotted him at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pa., ending a week-long manhunt. He’s charged with the murder of Brian Thompson whose shooting death was captured on camera and made news worldwide.
Family spokesman and Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione posted a statement this week on social media that said in part, “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask that people pray for all involved.”
Mangione is jailed in Pennsylvania awaiting extradition to New York. No word yet on a motive but there has been speculation he was angry with healthcare companies like United, one of the largest in the world.
