\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years of enduring severe pain from a broken back,\u201d he said, \u201cI learned UnitedHealth would be holding an investor conference in New York City.”<\/p>\n
\u201cI then researched the event online,\u201d Mangione said. \u201cI observed the annual conference of America\u2019s largest healthcare organization with the stated mission to make the healthcare system better for everyone.\u201d In an email to the company aimed at gathering logistical details, he posed as an investor with more than $50 million in capital, and he said he received a response within an hour\u2014far quicker than he was used to hearing from an insurer.<\/p>\n
For the first time in public view, Mangione then uttered his victim\u2019s name: \u201cI traveled to New York and emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to kill Brian Thompson.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly two years after his shooting of Thompson, Mangione\u2019s court appearances attract a steady drumbeat of press and supporters.<\/p>\n <\/span>Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n For all the attention lavished on Mangione\u2019s face and name, Thompson has emerged as a far more anonymous figure, often described in press coverage simply as a healthcare executive. As reporters and Mangione fans streamed out of the courthouse, instantly greeted by a swarm of cameras and curious passersby, Thompson\u2019s family issued a statement that refocused the human stakes of the proceedings. \u201cToday\u2019s guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWhile nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n When Karen Agnifilo addressed the cameras, she confirmed one of the popular theories that had been circulating around her client\u2019s guilty plea. Following Mangione\u2019s federal admission, she said, \u201cwe just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under the state\u2019s double jeopardy protections\u201d after Mangione \u201caccepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson.\u201d<\/p>\n Mangione \u201cendured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back, while struggling to navigate our healthcare and health insurance systems,\u201d she added. \u201cLike the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n