Luigi Mangione wrote notes to himself to “pluck eyebrows” and buy less conspicuous shoes before the alleged assassination of a US healthcare boss, a court has heard.
A to-do list and travel plans found after the 27-year-old‘s arrest over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year were revealed in court on Monday.
“Keep momentum, FBI slower overnight,” one read.
“Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows,” said another.
The notes included a hand-drawn map and tactics for surviving on the run, including moving around late at night and staying away from security cameras.
One note with a star next to it said: “buy black shoes (white stripes too distinctive).”
Another written in to-do list style suggested spending more than three hours away from security cameras and using different modes of transport to “Break CAM continuity” and avoid tracking.
Below that note, it said: “check reports for current situation”, a possible reference to checking news reports about the search for Mr Thompson’s killer.
The notes were shown at a pretrial hearing as part of Mangione’s bid to prevent prosecutors from using evidence seized during his arrest at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on 9 December 2024.
Excerpts of body-worn camera footage of the arrest were released on Tuesday.
Police found a 9mm handgun prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Mr Thompson, a silencer and a red notebook they described as a “manifesto” when they arrested Mangione.
The notebook had similar handwriting and purportedly described his intention to “wack” a health insurance executive.
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Mangione’s lawyers have not disputed the authenticity of the notes, or the provenance of the other items seized from him and his backpack, including the gun, pocket knife, fake ID, driver’s licence, passport, credit cards, AirPods, protein bar, travel toothpaste and flash drives.
But they argue the items should be excluded because police did not get a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.
Prosecutors argue the search was legal – officers said they were checking for a bomb – and police eventually obtained a warrant.
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Last week, Mangione was shown surveillance videos of the killing of Mr Thompson, 50, as he walked to a New York City hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.
He has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. The state charges carry the possibility of life in prison, while federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
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In September, a judge dismissed two terrorism counts against Mangione, finding prosecutors had not presented enough evidence he intended to intimidate health insurance workers or influence government policy.
