Free YouTube Transcribe

Video transcript

DELAY, DENY, DEPOSE: IL CASO LUIGI MANGIONE - PARTE 1

Elisa True Crime · 16,671 words · 76 min read

Want to search this transcript, jump the video from any line, or download it as TXT, SRT, or VTT?

Open in the transcript tool

Full transcript

| Introduzione

0:13Welcome back to my channel , friends , or

0:16welcome if you're new . I am Elisa and ,

0:18just like every Monday , I am here with

0:20you today to share a true crime story

0:21with all of you . I also wish to remind

0:24you that the purpose of my videos and

0:26of this channel is always to report , to

0:28spread awareness , and above all , it is

0:29to remember the victims of these

0:31stories . Before we start with today's

0:35case , friends , give me just a minute to

0:37tell you about the sponsor of this

0:39video , Revolut . Revolut , as you now

0:42know , is the free digital bank that

0:44allows me to manage all of my personal

0:46finances in a quick and simple way ,

0:47everything done directly from the app .

0:50With Revolute , I can keep an eye on my

0:52expenses , analyze the different

0:54spending categories , and even connect

0:56other accounts , so I can have a

0:57complete and immediate view of my

0:59finances . In addition , there are some

1:02very interesting new features at the

1:04moment , because with the basic plan ,

1:06you can get three months of GPT Plus

1:08chat for free , and there's also a new

1:10opportunity dedicated to savings . I'm

1:13taking out a deposit account , where you

1:15can get an interest rate of 3.5 % for 4

1:17months from the date of opening the

1:19account . In short , if you were

1:21considering trying out Revolut , this

1:23might be a very good time for you to do

1:25so . And as always , I remind you that

1:28opening your free account takes less

1:30than 5 minutes , and to get a € 20

1:33welcome bonus , all you have to do is

1:35top up your account for the first time ,

1:37make a purchase of at least one cent ,

1:39and after a few days you will receive

1:41your credit . As always , you can find

1:45the link below in the description . And

1:47now , friends , let's get back to today's

1:49case . medal It's the dead of night ,

| Il caso di Michelle Keys: la sanità negata

2:50when Donel Keys realizes that his

2:53daughter Michelle , who is only 18

2:55months old , is not feeling well . He

2:58touches her forehead and feels it

2:59burning , and when he takes her

3:01temperature , she almost has a heart

3:02attack . 42. He immediately calls an

3:05ambulance that takes her to the nearest

3:08hospital . Once they get to the

3:15emergency room , however , the first

3:16question they ask her is not what

3:18symptoms her daughter has , but what

3:19insurance do you have ? But this is the

3:22United States , that's how it works

3:24there and Donel knows it . Fortunately ,

3:26both she and Michelle are covered by

3:28one of the most widespread insurances

3:31in America , Kaiser Permanente , so at

3:33least she is not worried about that .

3:36The medical staff , however , leaves them

3:38waiting . In fact , the practice is that

3:42before proceeding with even a single

3:44visit , they must wait for approval from

3:47the HMO , the Health Maintenance

3:49Organization , the body that decides

3:51whether the insurance will accept that

3:54expense or not . So , Donel waits with

3:58Michelle in her arms and the fever that

4:00continues to rise . Every minute that

4:03passes seems like an eternity . At last ,

4:06someone arrives and tells her something

4:08that she never would have expected to

4:10hear . That hospital is not on the list

4:13of those authorized by her insurance

4:15plan , so there is nothing they can do

4:18for her daughter . They tell her to take

4:21her and take her to another hospital ,

4:23hoping that it is covered . Donel thinks

4:25that there must be a mistake . She

4:27thinks that in an emergency a child

4:29will be treated regardless , that the

4:31priority is to save their life . But

4:32that is not the case . No authorization ,

4:35no treatment . Sure , the hospital could

4:38technically send a formal request to

4:41the insurance company , but these

4:43requests are often left pending for

4:45hours or even days , because insurance

4:48companies often delay approving

4:50out-of-network cases , hoping that the

4:53patient will give up and be transferred

4:55elsewhere . Time passes , Donel does not

4:59give up and in the meantime Michelle

5:01gets worse so much that she has an

5:03epileptic seizure due to the high fever

5:06right there in front of everyone . But

5:10not even this moves the medical staff

5:13who , on the contrary , seeing her

5:15agitated and increasingly nervous , grab

5:17Donel , pick her up and remove her from

5:19the hospital , considering her a threat

5:22to the other patients . Donel is in a

5:26state of total confusion , but despite

5:28this he puts his daughter in the car

5:30and drives to the nearest hospital that

5:33is covered by the insurance network . He

5:36arrives just in time to see Michelle go

5:38into cardiac arrest . The doctors try to

5:41revive her for 30 minutes , but

5:43unfortunately there is nothing they can

5:44do . Michelle does not survive and dies

5:48in her mother's arms . Delay , deny ,

5:56defend . This is the model on which much

6:01of the American healthcare system is

6:03based , not that of the patient , but

6:05that of the profit . It is her fault to

6:09delay , delay the authorization of tests

6:12or treatments , to deny , deny patients '

6:14requests for reimbursement . Defend

6:18yourself in court until the very end ,

6:21even against patients who are in debt ,

6:23in critical conditions or at the end of

6:26their lives . Yes , because in the United

6:30States , having health insurance does

6:32not automatically mean having access to

6:34care . Every visit , every analysis ,

6:37every procedure must be approved ,

6:40evaluated by an algorithm or an

6:42internal auditor and can be rejected

6:44for the most disparate reasons ,

6:47economic , bureaucratic or simply

6:49strategic . For patients , every single

6:52day is a race against time , but for the

6:54companies , every day of delay

6:56represents an additional profit . In the

6:59United States , this has always been a

7:01very sensitive issue . Presidents ,

7:04activists , and entire communities have

7:06fought for decades in an attempt to

7:08reform a corrupt system that

7:09consistently places financial profit

7:11before human life . But no proposed bill

7:14, no organized protest , and no specific

7:16reform has managed to actually change

7:18the way things are . But on December 4 ,

| L’omicidio di Brian Thompson

7:212024 , something will happen , something

7:24that will force not only the entire

7:26country , but the entire world to look

7:28in that direction . Around 6:00 in the

7:31morning , in the beating heart of

7:33Manhattan in New York City , a man is

7:35killed in cold blood by a single

7:37gunshot fired directly into his back .

7:40But this is no random victim ; this is

7:43Brian Thompson , CEO of United

7:45Healthcare , one of the largest

7:47healthcare companies in the United

7:50States . Next to his body , on the

7:52sidewalk , are the shell casings of the

7:54three bullets fired . Each one is

7:58engraved with a word : delay , deny ,

8:01depose . Today I'm going to tell you

8:15about the person accused of this crime

8:17and what has become one of the most

8:19divisive , discussed , and controversial

8:21cases in recent years . This is the case

8:25of Luigi Mangione . This is a case that ,

|Il sistema sanitario americano

8:41in my opinion , is very interesting and

8:44very , very sad , not only for what

8:46happened on December 4 , 2024 , but for

8:49what it represents ; because it takes us

8:52into one of the biggest unresolved

8:54problems in the United States : the

8:56healthcare system and , more

8:58specifically , the health insurance

9:01system , a system that is completely

9:03different from the Italian one . In fact

9:07, before we get into the case , before

9:10we talk about what happened , who Luigi

9:12Mangione and Brian Thompson are , we

9:15need to dwell on this because I think

9:17many of us Italians really don't know

9:20how the healthcare system works in the

9:22United States . Believe me , we can't

9:25even imagine it , or at least I didn't

9:27know and I didn't imagine it . Yes , I

9:30knew the situation was pretty dramatic ,

9:32but I didn't believe it was at this

9:34level . I'll just tell you that I cried

9:38my eyes out watching documentaries ,

9:40reading books , or court documents about

9:42the American insurance system and how

9:44disgusting , excuse me , the French word .

9:48So , in Italy , if you're sick , you go to

9:51the hospital and you have the right to

9:54receive attention , visits and possibly

9:57treatment , regardless of your income or

9:59the type of job you do or whether or

10:02not you have private insurance , because

10:05in Italy healthcare is public , while in

10:08the United States it doesn't work that

10:10way . The right to healthcare is based

10:14on principles of a private nature .

10:18Access to treatment is guaranteed only

10:20to those who can afford it financially

10:23or to those who have health insurance .

10:27But this is where the short circuit

10:29lies because , as we will see in this

10:32part of the episode , it is not enough

10:34to be insured to have access to

10:36check-ups , visits and treatments ,

10:39because often , very often , all this is

10:41denied to you even if you have

10:43insurance and have been paying for it

10:46regularly for years . There is a very

10:49good documentary on this topic , it is

10:51called Sealle by Michael Moore . I

10:54recommend everyone watch it , also

10:55because you can find it in its entirety

10:57here on YouTube . And in this

10:59documentary , we witness various

11:01examples of individuals who , for one

11:03reason or another , cannot afford health

11:05insurance and who live their lives in

11:08the constant hope that they will not

11:10fall ill or suffer any injuries . But

11:13unfortunately these situations are

11:15unpredictable , they cannot be

11:16controlled , as in the case of Rick , for

11:18example . Unfortunately , he used a saw

| Rick Smith

11:23to cut off the phalanges of the middle

11:25and ring fingers of his left hand . He

11:29is one of approximately 26 million

11:31Americans who are not able to afford

11:33any form of health insurance coverage .

11:37When he had this accident , he was still

11:39forced to rush to the hospital ,

11:40naturally , and in addition to the

11:42thousands of dollars he was required to

11:44spend just to be examined at the

11:46emergency room and to have the bleeding

11:48stopped and the wound cleaned , the

11:50hospital then presented him with two

11:52distinct options regarding his hand . If

11:55he wanted , they could have stitched

11:57back the missing phalanges . It would

12:00have only cost him $ 12,000 for the

12:03ring finger and $ 60,000 for the middle

12:08finger . It's unclear why the middle

12:11finger costs so much more . The fact is

12:14that Rick , after careful consideration ,

12:16chose to save the ring finger , the one

12:18on which he wears his wedding ring . He

12:22let the middle finger slide , since he

12:24already had what he needed to answer

12:26the American healthcare system on his

12:28other hand ; luckily , Rick somehow

12:30managed to cough up the money required

12:33to get his medical treatment and

12:34finally pay off all those hospital

12:36bills . Do you know what happens when

12:46you not only lack health insurance , but

12:48you also do not have the money to pay ,

12:50and perhaps you are in a desperate

12:52condition and do not have a family to

12:53turn to upon whom you might be able to

12:55offload your mounting debt ? Well , in

12:59that case , you might be loaded into a

13:01car by the medical staff and literally

13:04dumped and left in the middle of the

13:06street , sometimes even while you are

13:09still wearing your hospital gown . I’m

13:12not kidding . In Los Angeles , within the

| Skid Row - LA

13:27infamous Skid Row district , the

13:29director of a shelter for the homeless

13:31reports that almost every single week ,

13:33individuals who were unable to cover

13:35the costs of their hospital medical

13:37care are being dumped right in front of

13:39his center . And when I say dumped , I

13:43really mean dumped . In the testimonies

13:46collected by Michael Moore for his

13:48documentary , a woman with stitches

13:50still on her face — stitches that had

13:52not even had the time to heal —

13:54recounts how she was driven to the Skid

13:56Row area and forcibly thrown out of the

13:58car by two members of the medical staff

14:01from the hospital where she had

14:02initially gone , due to the fact that

14:05she was , quite simply , unable to pay

14:08the necessary medical bill . In the

14:31documentary , we also see footage

14:33recorded by security cameras showing

14:35the very moment in which another woman

14:37is dumped out on the street . She is

14:40still wearing her hospital gown and

14:42remains in a visibly confused state of

14:44mind .

14:59But you know what ? We're not talking

15:02about people who don't have health

15:04insurance . First , because 10 hours of

15:06video wouldn't be enough to tell the

15:08story of the atrocities they suffer

15:10every day in the United States . Second ,

15:13because someone might say to me , " Well ,

15:16Elisa , it may be an unfair system , but

15:18if that's how it works , if you need

15:20insurance to get treatment , it's normal

15:23that those who don't have it can't get

15:25treatment . " Okay , so let's talk about

15:28another category . We are talking about

15:31those people who actually have

15:33insurance , who pay for it regularly ,

15:35and who do everything the right way ,

15:37just like Donel Keys , the woman I

15:39mentioned in the intro of this episode .

| La strategia “DELAY, DENY, DEFEND”

15:42First , let's start with how health

15:45insurance works . Here's how it works :

15:49you pay a monthly fee called an

15:50insurance premium to protect yourself

15:53from unexpected medical expenses . It

15:56functions like a pooled fund where

15:58millions of people pay , and when

15:59someone gets sick , the insurance

16:01company covers the costs on their

16:02behalf instead . So , in theory , it works

16:06a bit like this . I pay a little bit now

16:09, every month , so that I don't have to

16:11pay everything at once if something

16:12serious were to happen to me one day .

16:15The problem is that in the United

16:18States , health insurance companies are

16:20private companies , and like all private

16:23companies , they have a very clear goal :

16:25to spend less than they take in . So ,

16:29yes , you pay every month , but you're

16:32not paying to receive treatment ; you're

16:34paying to have the right to ask if you

16:36can be treated , and it's up to the

16:39insurance company to decide whether

16:41that visit is necessary or not , whether

16:43that hospital is approved by your plan ,

16:46whether you can access that medication ,

16:48and , most importantly , whether it's

16:50willing to pay for it . So , this is how

16:54health insurance works in the United

16:56States , or at least how it is supposed

16:58to function in theory . You pay every

17:01month , you transfer the risk to a

17:03larger entity , and when you need it ,

17:05they step in and protect you , they save

17:07your life . Now let us look at how

17:10health insurance fails to function in

17:13the United States , because this is the

17:15promise that they make , but that same

17:17promise is betrayed every single day

17:19and for one very simple reason : those

17:21insurance companies do not earn any

17:23profit when they are required to pay

17:25for the treatments that patients

17:27receive ; they make money when they

17:29don't pay for them , they make money

17:31when they delay them , deny them or when

17:34they defend themselves in court . This

17:37strategy has a very specific name , as I

17:39mentioned at the beginning : delay , deny

17:42, defend . They delay authorizations for

17:46visits or tests or payments . Even when

17:50that individual is in urgent need of

17:53medical treatment or money to survive .

17:55The more time passes , the more interest

17:58the insurance company collects on the

17:59premiums it has withheld . That is , they

18:04deny the request for a visit or

18:06reimbursement or only recognize a

18:08minimal part of it , even if it is

18:10legitimate , because they know that many

18:12exhausted or deprived patients will

18:14eventually give up and finally defend

18:17themselves . If the patient does not

18:21give up , does not surrender and takes

18:23the insurance company to court , the

18:25insurance company will defend itself to

18:28the end , making the proceedings last

18:30for years and years , knowing that most

18:32people do not have the strength or the

18:34money to resist that long , not to

18:36mention the fact that many of them do

18:38not even have the time since they are

18:41terminally ill . But what do you mean ?

18:44The more time passes , the more interest

18:46the insurance company collects on the

18:47premiums it has withheld ? In the sense

18:50that all insurance premiums , that is ,

18:53the money that Americans pay each month

18:55to insurance companies , are immediately

18:58invested in the financial markets in

19:01stocks , bonds or funds . This means that

19:04the longer an insurance company is able

19:06to hold on to that money without paying

19:08for it in treatments , the more it earns

19:10on the interest and investments . So

19:14delaying an authorization , postponing a

19:16payment , rejecting a reimbursement is

19:19not a bureaucratic error , it is a

19:21financial strategy . Every single day

19:25that insurance refuses to pay for a

19:26treatment is a day that those funds are

19:28actually generating profit in the stock

19:30market . Warren Buffett himself , one of

19:33the world's greatest investors and the

19:36owner of some of the largest insurance

19:38companies in America , stated the

19:39following : " Insurance companies are

19:41wonderful because they pay us to hold

19:43their money and invest it for them . The

19:46longer we are able to hold onto these

19:47funds , the better it is for us . " And

19:49that changes the perspective completely

19:51. Delaying treatment is not a side

19:54effect of the system , it is the system .

19:57There's a book called exactly that ,

20:00Delay , Deny , Defend , DJ Finman . And I

20:04know those three words are very similar

20:06to those found on the three bullet

20:07casings and I promise we'll get to that

20:09. This book clearly describes how this

20:13entire mechanism functions and there

20:15are , unfortunately , numerous stories ,

20:18various examples of people to whom

20:20simply surreal events have occurred as

20:22a direct consequence of this system .

20:25And before we get into the Mangione

20:28case , I want to tell you two .

| I casi di Christopher e Nataline Sarkisyan

20:31Christopher is a student at Penn State

20:33University and has insurance with

20:35United Healthcare , one of those

20:36policies specifically designed for

20:38students who are obviously considered a

20:41minimal risk by insurance companies

20:42because they are generally young and in

20:45good health . The problem is that

20:48Christopher is not at all like his

20:50peers . He suffers from a very serious

20:53form of ulcerative colitis . For this

20:56reason , he is forced to spend entire

20:59days on the couch , having bloody

21:02diarrhea more than 20 times a day .

21:06Because of all this , over time he loses

21:0950 pounds , develops anemia , blood clots

21:11, and debilitating arthritis , and is

21:14forced to give up all activities ,

21:16including basketball , which was the

21:18sport he loved . The doctors send him to

21:22the Mayo Clinic to see Dr. Edward

21:24Loftus , and to get to this clinic , he

21:27and his mother have to travel almost

21:30900 miles , planning the trip in stages ,

21:33choosing cities near the hospitals

21:35because Christopher is in such bad

21:38shape that they are afraid something

21:40will happen to him on the way . For two

21:44years , however , no treatment worked ,

21:46until in 2018 his doctor , Dr. Loftus ,

21:49tried a therapy based on biological

21:51drugs — which are extremely expensive

21:53— and then an off-label combination ,

21:56which therefore involved the use of

21:58doses that were much higher than what

22:01is considered normal . But finally , in

22:05this way , Christopher improved : he

22:07started eating , he no longer spent days

22:09in the bathroom , he gained some weight ,

22:11in short , he started living again . Of

22:15course , these treatments cost a lot ,

22:17almost 2 million dollars a year , but as

22:20always the family paid what they could

22:22while waiting for the insurance

22:24reimbursement . Only this time the

22:27reimbursement did not arrive . United

22:30began leaving all the requests pending ,

22:33and then , in January of 2021 , the final

22:36blow arrived . All the expenses , more

22:40than $ 800,000 , were rejected en masse .

22:44The family panicked ; they risked losing

22:46everything , and above all , Christopher

22:48was at risk of losing the very therapy

22:51that had been his salvation . However ,

22:54the boy's university intervened and

22:55United , at least on the surface , backed

22:57down . It covers treatment through

23:00year-end and offers an apology .

23:04Unfortunately , two months later , he

23:06began denying reimbursements again ,

23:08saying that the treatment was not

23:11medically necessary . The treatment that

23:14saved his life , according to them , is

23:16not considered to be necessary from a

23:19medical point of view . Delay , deny ,

23:22defend . At that point , the family

23:26wanted to file an appeal , but the

23:28United nurse , the nurse who was in

23:30charge of the case , together with a

23:32company executive , advised them against

23:34doing so , saying that it would not be

23:36of any use at all . Instead , they

23:40arranged a meeting between

23:41Christopher's doctor , Dr. Loftus , and

23:44one of United's doctors . And shortly

23:48after , a few days later , the family

23:50received an email with the subject line

23:53" great news . " It says inside that both

23:57of the doctors had agreed to continue

23:59the treatment , but with the intention

24:01of drastically reducing the dosages .

24:05The family remains speechless because

24:06the lower doses have never had any

24:08effect on Christopher whatsoever . So

24:11they called Dr. Loftus to ask for an

24:13explanation and , surprised , he said

24:15that he had never approved anything ; in

24:18fact , he said that reducing the doses

24:20could be dangerous or even fatal . So

24:24the family filed a lawsuit . And in

24:27court , a series of disturbing elements

24:29come to light , such as telephone

24:32recordings in which the nurse informs

24:34the manager that they have managed to

24:37have him deny treatment and he , the

24:40manager , reacts with a relieved laugh

24:42at the news . In this phone call , the

24:47nurse and the United manager , of course

24:49, continue making disparaging comments

24:52about Christopher's mother in which

24:54they complain about that woman , they

24:56called her that because she used to

24:58insist and constantly complain to them

25:01about their son's treatment . Imagine

25:05that . And then it also emerges that in

25:08reality another doctor , Nitin Kumar ,

25:10had approved Christopher's high-dose

25:13therapy and had written in a report

25:15that reducing the doses could have led

25:18to serious relapses , hospitalizations

25:20and even the risk of death . But that

25:23report , guess what ? It had been made to

25:27disappear by United , who had not even

25:29mentioned it to the family of the boy .

25:32Furthermore , the documents state that

25:34denying Christopher treatment would

25:37have saved the company a huge amount of

25:40money , from a cost of $ 1.1 million to

25:42just over $ 260,000 . The lawsuit

25:46eventually ended with a settlement .

25:48Details are not public , but today

25:51United was forced to cover

25:52Christopher's treatment again and he is

25:55finally feeling better . But only

25:58because his story made enough noise to

26:01force the insurance company to take

26:03action , because as you can imagine

26:05there are thousands and thousands of

26:08lawsuits and stories that don't end

26:10this way , such as that of Nathalie

26:12Sarkisian . Nathalie is a 17 - year-old

26:17girl from California who was diagnosed

26:19with leukemia at the age of 14. But

26:22don't worry , the girl is fully covered

26:24by Signa Healthcare insurance , which on

26:27November 21 , 2007 , paid for a bone

26:29marrow transplant donated by her

26:31brother . Unfortunately , however ,

26:35following this operation Nathalin

26:37contracted a lung infection and was

26:39therefore forced to remain hospitalized

26:40for a much longer period of time .

26:44Unfortunately , the bone marrow

26:46transplant was not enough to save her

26:48life . Nathalie , in fact , also requires

26:51a liver transplant , as the doctors are

26:53now informing the family members . The

26:56family obviously decided to go ahead

26:58with the transplant and the insurance

26:59company approved this operation as well

27:01. It's December 6th . The hospital staff

27:05is working to officially schedule the

27:07transplant while they wait for an

27:09available liver to be found , which ends

27:11up happening only four days after that .

27:164 days later , a liver is available , but

27:18there's also a problem because at that

27:21point Signa Healthcare suddenly refuses

27:23to cover the costs of the transplant .

27:27The excuse they use is that it's an

27:29experimental procedure and the family's

27:32plan . Signa Healthcare doesn't cover

27:35experimental treatments , but this is

27:37absurd because the insurance had

27:38already approved the procedure because

27:40it wasn't experimental before and now

27:42it does . Well , simply performing a

27:46transplant following a lung infection

27:48like the one Natalin had would have

27:50increased the cost of the procedure

27:52because the transplant becomes much

27:55riskier , the chances of rejection and

27:57sepsis increase , the hospital must

27:59provide additional medical treatments ,

28:02prolonged intensive care , and so on and

28:04so forth . And in order to avoid losing

28:08too much money , Signa Healthcare opts

28:10to deny coverage of the surgery by

28:12appealing to the convenient excuse that

28:14it is an experimental procedure . Delay ,

28:19deny , defend . The family obviously

28:23filed an appeal and in the meantime the

28:25condition of Nataline worsened in a

28:27drastic way . She found herself sedated

28:30and in a medically induced coma in an

28:32attempt to stabilize her and that

28:34transplant was the only hope she had of

28:37saving herself . Her story spread

28:40rapidly and , needless to say , it

28:43sparked deep indignation among the

28:45citizens and many healthcare workers as

28:48well , who began protesting against this

28:50inhumane and unjust decision directly

28:53in front of the Signa Healthcare

28:55headquarters . The California Nurses

29:00Association also stood with the family ,

29:02as did every doctor at the hospital

29:04where Nathaline was being treated , who

29:06collectively wrote a letter to Signa

29:08Health requesting that they reconsider

29:10their decision , yet unfortunately , it

29:11was already too late for them to change

29:14the outcome . While Nathaline’s

29:18parents were currently at the protest

29:20against Signa , they received a

29:22telephone call from one of the doctors ,

29:24who informed them that Nathaline would

29:26never recover . He advised the family to

29:30return to the hospital immediately , to

29:32say their final goodbyes , and to unplug

29:34the medical machine that was keeping

29:35their daughter alive . So the family did

29:38so . He went to the hospital around 4:40

29:42p.m. to say goodbye to Nataline one

29:45last time , and at the same time , Signa

29:48Healthcare sent a letter to the

29:50family's lawyer . They had changed their

29:54minds . They had decided to make an

29:57exception in this rare and unusual case

29:59after all , and would provide the

30:01necessary coverage for the liver

30:03transplant . Natal's parents only

30:07learned the news at 5:20 p.m. , almost

30:09an hour after they had already pulled

30:12the plug on their daughter , who had

30:15therefore lost her life as a result of

30:18what can only be described as a bitter

30:21injustice at the age of just 17. And if

30:24you think that these are just stories

30:26of the past , unfortunately that is not

30:29the case . Consider that , at the end of

30:342024 , only a few weeks prior to the

30:37murder of Brian Thompson , another

30:39insurance company , Anthem Blue Cross

30:41Blue Shield , introduced a policy

30:43destined to ignite a nationwide

30:45controversy : the decision to establish

30:47a strict maximum time limit for the

30:50reimbursement of anesthesia coverage

30:52during the course of surgical

30:54procedures performed on patients . That

30:58is , if an operation lasts longer than

31:00expected , insurance may no longer cover

31:03the cost of anesthesia beyond that

31:04limit . And what would happen if someone

31:07couldn't cover these costs ? Should we

31:09cut the anesthesia , interrupt the

31:11operation halfway ? Doctors ,

31:14anesthesiologists and politicians

31:16obviously lashed out at this idea

31:18because the length of an operation is

31:20not something that can be decided at

31:22the table , it depends on complications ,

31:25emergencies , and the patient's

31:27condition . Faced with protests , Huntem

31:29was fortunately forced to completely

31:32withdraw the proposal even before it

31:34went into effect . But this episode

31:36makes us understand even more how tense

31:39the relationship between citizens and

31:41health insurance companies in the

31:44United States was already well before

31:46December 4 , 2024. Hi , I'm Brian Topson ,

| Il CEO

31:51CEO of United Health and welcome to the

31:54attendees of RER . Our mission values

31:58are focused on people lives everyone .

32:03Brian Robert Thompson was born on July

32:0810 , 1974 in Iowa . In life he was a

32:11winner , he came from a good family , he

32:13was a brilliant student , he always got

32:15excellent grades . In high school , he

32:19was the typical popular kid , a talented

32:21athlete , was elected prom king , and

32:23according to the school principal , was

32:25a natural-born leader . At the

32:29University of Iowa , he studied business

32:31administration and accounting and ,

32:34after graduating in 1997 , began working

32:37for PWC , one of the most prestigious

32:39consulting firms in the world , where he

32:42remained for about 7 years , mainly as

32:45an auditor and manager . But it was in

32:482004 that he joined United Health Group

32:51, one of the largest healthcare

32:53companies in the United States . There ,

32:56he began a rapid rise in the ranks .

33:00First , he managed government programs ,

33:02namely those that provide state-funded

33:04healthcare such as Medicare and

33:05Medicaid : the former is specifically

33:07aimed at the elderly or individuals who

33:10suffer from severe disabilities , while

33:12the latter is thoughtfully designed for

33:14all those families that have a low

33:16income . Subsequently , he was appointed

33:20chief executive officer of the United

33:22Healthcare division , which is the

33:24largest private health insurance

33:26company in the country , serving tens of

33:28millions of customers and generating

33:30hundreds of billions of dollars in

33:32annual revenue . In the meantime , Brian

33:35meets his wife Polet Revit and the two

33:38settle in Minnesota where they raise

33:41their two children . In 2021 , Brian

33:43reaches the peak of his career . He is

33:47officially appointed SIEO of United

33:50Healthcare . From that moment on , he is

33:53considered one of the most influential

33:55men in the American healthcare sector .

| 4 Dicembre 2024

34:14It is December 4 , 2024 , and Brian

34:16Thompson is heading to the annual

34:19shareholders ' conference of his company

34:21, United Healthcare , which is being

34:24held at the Hilton Midtown Hotel ,

34:26located in the Manhattan district of

34:29New York City . It is 6:45 in the

34:33morning when , right in front of the

34:35hotel entrance , a hooded man approaches

34:38him , pulls out a gun and shoots Brian

34:41in the back and leg , and then , in a

34:43manner that appears quite calm and

34:45collected , he proceeds to walk away

34:48from the scene . 6:45 Wednesday morning .

34:58Investigators say this was a shot by

35:02Thomson and pulled the trigger ,

35:04shooting Thomson in the back and leg .

35:07His gun appears to have a silencer ,

35:09taking aim even as a witness walks by .

35:12" A shot , and when I look around I saw a

35:15guy with a gun , you know , and he

35:17probably ... he shot three times and , um ,

35:20then he started running , going across ,

35:23you see that opening . " At this point ,

35:33the manhunt began : who killed Brian

35:36Thompson and , above all , why ? The

| Chi ha ucciso Brian Thompson?

35:44officers arrived on the scene and

35:46cordoned off the area around the hotel

35:48entrance . Brian Thompson was

36:16immediately rescued and taken to Mount

36:18Sinai Hospital , where he was pronounced

36:20dead shortly after , at 7:10 a.m. On the

37:06ground , they found an abandoned phone

37:08near the crime scene , a hat , a water

37:10bottle and a snack wrapper with

37:12possible fingerprints and DNA traces ,

37:14but above all , they found the three

37:16shell casings from the bullets that

37:18killed Thompson . And one of the

37:22officers noticed a detail . Each bullet

37:25had an engraving , three words : delay ,

37:30deny , depos . The same words that , as we

37:34have seen , represent the strategy with

37:37which American insurance companies

37:39delay , deny and defend their decisions

37:42to the very end , even at the cost of

37:44people's lives , or rather , they are not

37:47exactly the same three words . Instead

37:50of the word defend on the bullets we

37:53find the word depose , which in English

37:56can have two meanings . It can mean to

38:00depose , in the sense of testifying

38:02under oath , or it can mean — and I

38:05personally believe this is the meaning

38:08intended in this specific instance — it

38:11can signify deposing from power , to

38:13dismiss , to remove someone from their

38:16throne , delay , diai , di pose . It is

38:21impossible not to grasp the message .

38:25Those bullets are not merely the means

38:27to commit a murder ; they are a formal

38:29declaration of war directed against an

38:31entire political system . The New York

38:35police , thanks to the various

38:37surveillance cameras , are able to

38:39reconstruct the movements before and

38:41after the suspect's murder . Let's look

38:44at them together starting from the days

38:47before the crime . On November 24 , 2024 ,

38:50so 10 days before the crime , the

38:53suspect arrives in New York on a bus

38:56that left from Atlanta , Georgia . From

39:00the bus station . The suspect then takes

39:02a taxi and requests to be dropped off

39:04near the hotel outside of which he had

39:07been shot . Brian Thompson stays near

39:10the Lilton Midtown Hotel for about an

39:12hour before he takes another taxi that

39:14brings him to a hostel located on the

39:17Upper West Side of Manhattan . The

39:20suspect is checking into this hostel by

39:22providing an identification document on

39:25which we can read the name Mark Rosario

39:27. Throughout this , the suspect is

39:30wearing a jacket , a sort of greenish

39:33parka with the hood pulled up and a

39:35surgical mask covering his face .

39:38However , the receptionist at the hostel

39:40asks him to remove the mask so that she

39:43might verify if his features match the

39:45photograph present on the identity

39:47document he provided to her . The

39:50suspect does so , he removes his mask

39:52and in this way his face is captured by

39:54the security camera that is installed

39:55in the hostel . Then we come to the day

40:02of the crime , December 4th , that

40:04morning , at around 5:35 a.m. the

40:06suspect leaves the hostel still wearing

40:09the parka and a backpack that is

40:11described in the records as a gray

40:13backpack . He gets on an electric bike

40:16and rides to the area of the Hilton

40:18Midtown Hotel . A few minutes later , he

40:21goes into a café , a bar , and buys some

40:23things , we don't know what , before

40:26returning to a bench , also near the

40:28hotel . And during this period of time ,

40:31the suspect is caught on camera using

40:33his cell phone at least on one occasion

40:35. At approximately 6:45 a.m. , so after

40:38about an hour , Brian Thompson arrives ,

40:40the suspect approaches him , and kills

40:43him . Afterwards he walks away , gets

40:46back on an electric bike and is filmed

40:48by various security cameras while

40:53riding into Central Park , only to

40:54emerge from the area after a

40:55considerable amount of time has passed .

40:59When he leaves Central Park , still

41:01riding the bike , he is no longer

41:03wearing the gray backpack he was

41:05wearing when he entered . At

41:09approximately 6:58 a.m. , another

41:11security camera captures him riding

41:14along West 85th Street and Columbus

41:16Avenue , and 2 minutes later , at 7:00

41:19a.m. sharp , he is seen walking without

41:22the electric bike . At 7:04 a.m. , the

41:25suspect took a taxi that brought him to

41:28the George Washington Bus Station in

41:30Upper Manhattan , where his face was

41:32captured once again by the camera

41:34located on board that same vehicle .

41:37However , only his eyes are visible

41:39because he is once again wearing both

41:41the hood and the surgical mask on his

41:43face . At 7:30 a.m. , the George

41:45Washington Bus Station's security

41:47camera captured him as he entered the

41:49facility , but it did not capture him

41:51ever leaving the building . Therefore ,

41:53he presumably took a bus and then

41:55departed from the city . The news

| Caccia al killer

42:04quickly spread around the world .

42:07Suddenly , there was nothing else to

42:10talk about , and law enforcement

42:12launched an unprecedented nationwide

42:15manhunt . The New York Police Department

42:19released photos of the suspect , which

42:21they had gathered from all that

42:24security camera footage , and asked the

42:26public for help . They asked anyone who

42:29recognizes the man to come forward ,

42:32initially offering a reward of $ 10,000

42:34, which was subsequently increased to a

42:37total of $ 50,000 . The suspect is still

42:40on the run , and his whereabouts are

42:42unknown . But just two days later , on

42:45December 6 , there was an update . The

42:48police , in fact , searched the length

42:51and breadth of Central Park , because ,

42:53as you may recall from the footage , the

42:55suspect entered Central Park with the

42:57gray backpack and came out without it .

43:00And in fact , on December 6 , the

43:03authorities found a gray backpack ,

43:05found on the ground among the leaves . A

43:09backpack that seemed to match the one

43:11worn by the suspect . Inside there are

43:15only two things : a jacket from the

43:17Tommy Hilfiger brand and some money

43:20from a game of Monopoly . Literally

43:23money from the board game Monopoly . As

43:27you can imagine , people did not

43:29immediately begin to obsess over this

43:32case and , according to many , the

43:34Monopoly money in the backpack was not

43:37there by chance , but , exactly like the

43:39three words engraved on the shell

43:42casings , it was a message ; a strong and

43:44clear message against a system that

43:47plays with people's lives as if it were

43:50a board game , a system that accumulates

43:52profits and power , while patients

43:56become nothing more than numbers , pawns

43:58, fake banknotes in a rigged game .

44:01According to many , that fake money

44:03represents the fiction of the entire

44:05American healthcare system , where

44:07everything revolves around money , yet

44:10no one seems to truly care about the

44:12people involved . And slowly but surely ,

44:16this mysterious killer is beginning to

44:18be perceived by the masses , especially

44:21by the American people , not so much as

44:24a ruthless killer , but more as a

44:26vigilante , someone who , for better or

44:28worse , has given voice to the anger of

44:32millions of people . It's December 9th

| L’arresto ad Altoona

44:54and in Altuna , Pennsylvania it seems

44:56like any other day . Altuna is a quiet

44:59town , one of those where life moves

45:01slowly , with bars that open early and

45:04people going to work with coffee in

45:06hand . Even at the local McDonald's , the

45:09morning has started like any other .

45:12It's 9 : 115 a.m. and there are few

45:14customers . Among them is a young man

45:17who approaches the counter , passing in

45:20front of some customers who are eating ,

45:22and orders some ash browns and a coffee

45:24. However , these customers continue to

45:28watch him and cannot help but think

45:30that they must have seen that very face

45:33somewhere before in their own lives .

45:36The guy pays , grabs his tray , and goes

45:38to sit at one of the tables at the back

45:41of the room , but the customers keep

45:44staring at him and then suddenly they

45:46realize and he is the man everyone has

45:49been talking about for the past 5 days .

45:53His photos are everywhere , you just

45:55have to turn on the TV or open social

45:57media to find that face in front of you

45:59. The customers then decide to notify

46:02the manager of McDonald's . The woman

46:04watches the guy for a few moments and

46:06doesn't hesitate for a moment . She

46:09picks up the phone , calls 911 , and

46:11tells the operators that she has in

46:13front of her the man wanted for the

46:15murder of Brian Thompson . I a manager

46:22at McDonald's here on the Boulevard .

46:24Okay . And I have a customer here that

46:28some other customers were suspicious of

46:30that he looks like the CEO shooter from

46:32New York . Yeah . Uh well he has his uh

46:38beanie pulled down . And a few minutes

46:53later the Altuna police show up at the

46:55McDonald's . The first officer on the

46:58scene is Officer Tyler Fry , who has

47:00only been on the job for 6 months , who ,

47:02together with his colleague Joseph

47:04Detweiler , approaches the table where

47:06the suspect is eating . Officer

47:08Deathweiler asks the suspect to remove

47:11the surgical mask he has on his face

47:13and provide him with an identification

47:16document , which he does and hands over

47:18the same document he gave the suspect ,

47:21the one with the name Mark Rosario on

47:24it . Fry's people , however , looking at

47:27the suspect's face , have no doubts .

47:30That is the individual who shot Brian

47:32Thompson , the very same man seen in the

47:34surveillance camera footage which has

47:36been released and distributed

47:38everywhere . However , upon conducting a

47:40quick check , he is unable to find any

47:42information regarding the document the

47:44suspect provided him , and therefore ,

47:46nothing on this Mark Rosario . He then

47:49asks him if he is lying , if he has

47:52provided a false document , reminding

47:54him that he could be arrested for that

47:57alone , simply for having given a fake

47:59document to the authorities , and then

48:02asks him once again if his name is

48:04truly Mark Rosario . To which the boy

48:07replies no . His name is not Marco

48:10Rosario , his name is Luigi Mangione . At

48:14this point Officer Deathweiler grabs

48:16the suspect's hands and raises them

48:18above his head , immobilizing him . After

48:21that , he leaves the McDonald's and

48:23calls for backup , telling his

48:25colleagues that he is 100 % sure that he

48:27has just stopped and arrested the

48:29person responsible for Brian Thompson's

48:32murder . News of the arrest spreads

| Lo zaino

48:41across the country , or rather , the

48:43world . The news , websites , social media

48:46, everywhere . The only person talking

48:48about it is Luigi Mangione , the young

48:50man stopped at the McDonald's in Altuna

48:52. And as the hours pass , the first

48:55details about what he had with him at

48:57the time of his arrest begin to leak

48:59out . Pennsylvania have arrested a

49:03suspect . This is the IV league graduate

49:06and valedan who police say is the

49:08suspected CEO assassin who has been

49:11charged with the murder of the health

49:17and identification . According to

49:22various reports , the backpack found

49:25beside him contained forged documents ,

49:28clothing compatible with that worn by

49:31the killer , a loaded pistol with a

49:34silencer , and thousands of dollars in

49:37cash . Or rather , it was not just

49:39dollars ; it was foreign currency , but

49:41we will discuss that later . A notebook

49:43and a letter addressed to the federal

49:46authorities . Earlier this morning in

49:50Altuna , Pennsylvania , members of the

49:53Altuna Police Department arrested Luigi

49:55Mangioni . Responding officers

49:58questioned the suspect who was acting

50:00suspiciously and was carrying multiple

50:03fraudulent IDs as well as a US passport

50:05. Upon further investigation , officers

50:09recovered a firearm on his person as

50:11well as a suppressor . Additionally ,

50:14officers recovered handwritten notes

50:16that speak to both his motivation and

50:19mindset . Some excerpts are subsequently

50:23released from both what was written

50:25inside the notebook and from the letter

50:28that had been addressed to the federal

50:30agents . Let me read some of them to you

50:33. This is a page from the notebook . It

50:36is dated August 15 , 2024 , and it says :

50:38" The details are finally falling into

50:41place , and in a sense I am glad I

50:43delayed because it allowed me to learn

50:46more about , " and here there is the

50:48acronym UHC , which should stand for

50:50United Healthcare . The target is

50:54insurance because it checks all the

50:56boxes . On a page dated October 22 , 2024

50:59, it is written : " A month and a half .

51:02This investor conference is a golden

51:05opportunity and , what is more important

51:07, the message becomes evident all on

51:09its own . " There is a note in the court

51:11documents in this section . It also says

51:14that further down , still on that same

51:16page , the notebook describes an

51:18intention to take out the chief

51:20executive officer of one of the

51:22insurance companies during the very

51:25conference for the investors . Remember ?

51:28Brian Thompson was eliminated just as

51:30he was on his way to attend the

51:32company's annual investor conference .

51:35Instead , I will read you the letter

51:36addressed to the feds , or rather the

51:38excerpts that were included in the

51:39court documents to the federal agents .

51:43I will be brief because I respect what

51:45you do for our country . To save you a

51:47long investigation , I will make it

51:49clear that I was not working with

51:50anyone . It was something rather simple :

51:53a bit of elementary social engineering ,

51:55some basic CAD , and a great deal of

51:57patience . PS : you are welcome to check

52:00the serial numbers and my own ATM

52:01withdrawals , in order to verify that

52:03everything was entirely self-funded .

52:06There is , however , an independent

52:08journalist who has decided to publish

52:10the full text of this letter , but so

52:12far he is the only one to do so . I wish

52:16to point out that , while some believe

52:18this to be the original text , there are

52:19others who , conversely , express doubt

52:21regarding this matter . Therefore , to

52:24have 100 % confirmation , we will have to

52:26wait for this evidence , because it is

52:28considered evidence for all intents and

52:31purposes , to be declassified by the

52:33court . I will read you what this

52:35journalist believes is the full text ,

52:38but take this information with a grain

52:40of salt . According to him , after the

52:42piece I read to you earlier , the letter

52:44would continue like this . The spiral

52:46notebook , if you can find it , contains

52:48a few scattered notes and to-do lists

52:50that explain everything in broad terms .

52:53My technical background is kept fairly

52:55under wraps due to my work in

52:56engineering , so it is likely that you

52:58will not find much information there . I

53:00apologize for any upset or trauma , but

53:02it had to be done . Honestly , these

53:05parasites simply asked for it . A

53:08reminder . The United States has the

53:10most expensive healthcare system in the

53:13world , and yet we rank about 42nd in

53:15life expectancy . United is there , you

53:18can't read what it says here . The

53:21largest company in the United States by

53:23market capitalization , behind only

53:25Apple , Google , Walmart . It has grown

53:28and grown , but our life expectancy has

53:30not . The truth is that these people —

53:33it's impossible to read what is written

53:35here — have become far too powerful and

53:37continue to abuse our country for their

53:39own massive profits , because the

53:41American public has simply allowed them

53:43to get away with it for all this time .

53:46Obviously the problem is more complex ,

53:48but I don't have the space and I

53:50honestly don't claim to be the best

53:52person to explain everything in detail ,

53:54but many people have already exposed

53:56corruption and greed , for example

53:58Rosental Moore , decades ago and the

54:00problems are still the same . At this

54:03point it's no longer a problem of

54:05awareness , but of obvious power plays .

54:08It seems I am the first person to

54:10address it with such an honest

54:11brutality . Now , where is it written

54:14that he made use of some elementary

54:17social engineering and a bit of basic

54:19CAD ? By CAD he refers to computer-aided

54:23design , or rather design assisted by a

54:25computer , which entails the use of

54:28software to create technical projects

54:30and drawings of various objects ,

54:33structures , or products . That is , with

54:37a CAD program , for example , you can

54:39design and print objects with a 3D

54:41printer . In fact , the gun that agents

54:45claim to have found inside Luigi

54:47Mangione's backpack is indeed a firearm

54:49that was constructed using a

54:51professional 3D printer . Then there is

54:54a passage in which he quotes Ted

54:56Kasinski , the Luna bomber , and remember

54:59this because we will need it later .

55:02Anyway , he writes this . For example ,

55:05Ted Kasinski makes some interesting

55:07observations about the future of

55:09humanity , but in order to get his

55:10message across he ends up

55:12indiscriminately sending bombs to

55:14innocent people . Ordinary people simply

55:17consider him a crazy serial killer .

55:20They focus only on the act and the

55:21atrocities he committed and end up

55:23completely dismissing his ideas . The

55:26excerpts from his notebook are

55:28nevertheless made public and published

55:31in every newspaper or TV news program

55:33or social media page that exists on the

55:35face of the earth . And very soon people

55:39began to talk not about a notebook , but

55:42about a manifesto . A manifesto ,

55:46according to the dictionary , is a

55:48written statement that publicly exposes

55:51the intentions , motives , or opinions of

55:54the person issuing it . That's why the

55:58use of the word manifesto is not at all

56:02neutral . Throughout history , manifestos

56:05are often linked to acts of terrorism .

56:08Let us think of Luna Bomber or Brenton

56:09Tarrant or other attackers who have

56:11left behind ideological writings as a

56:13justification for the crimes that they

56:15have committed . So , when the newspapers

56:19and television news programs began to

56:21define Luigi Mangione's notebook as a

56:24manifesto , they were doing something

56:26very specific ; they were attributing an

56:28ideological intent to that gesture , and

56:31they were painting Mangione not only as

56:34a murderer , but as an extremist , a

56:36terrorist . In fact , these are the

56:39charges against him . In the State of

56:42New York he is accused of intentional

56:45homicide , first-degree murder as an act

56:47of terrorism , second-degree murder as

56:50an act of terrorism , and possession of

56:52a firearm for criminal use . In the

56:55state of Pennsylvania , where he was

56:57arrested , he is charged with possession

57:00of a firearm without a license , forgery

57:02of identification documents , false

57:04identification to law enforcement ,

57:06possession of criminal instruments and

57:08related to the silencer . In addition to

57:12the charges brought in the states of

57:14New York and Pennsylvania , Mangione

57:17also faces federal charges , which are

57:19charges brought directly by the United

57:21States government and are as follows :

57:24stalking involving the crossing of

57:26state lines to commit stalking ; and

57:28murder committed with a firearm , a

57:30crime related to the use of firearms .

57:35Luigi Mangione is being held at

57:36Huntington County Correctional Facility

57:38in Pennsylvania and during his first

57:40hearing he appears without a lawyer .

57:44During this court hearing , the judge

57:46lists , among other items , all the

57:47objects that were discovered inside his

57:49backpack at McDonald's , including those

57:51thousands of dollars in cash — in short

57:52, the money I mentioned earlier that

57:54could indicate his desire to flee

57:56because , as I said , different types of

57:57currency were found ; all these details

57:59are being presented to the court to

58:01further examine the evidence regarding

58:02his potential intent to escape from the

58:04jurisdiction . That is , it was $ 10,000

58:08in total , but $ 8,000 was in US dollars

58:11and $ 2,000 in Thai , Japanese , and

58:14Indian currencies . But as we will see ,

58:17it could also be the case that this

58:19money derives from some of his previous

58:21trips , but we are going to get to that

58:22eventually . But Mangione rebuts those

58:25statements from the judge and says that

58:26he has absolutely no idea where that

58:28money actually came from . He says he

58:31doesn't know if anyone or anything put

58:33it there , but he says it's definitely

58:36not his money . The next day , he is

58:39escorted by police to the courthouse

58:41for an extradition hearing to extradite

58:43him to New York . On the way from the

58:47car to the entrance of the courthouse ,

58:49one can hear Mangione yelling , looking

58:52particularly angry , while addressing

58:54the crowd of reporters gathered there

58:56to film him with this specific

58:58statement : " The way in which you are

59:01covering this story is completely

59:03detached from reality and serves as an

59:04insult to the intelligence of the

59:06American people and to their personal

59:07lived experience . " And in the meantime ,

59:32some officers push him face-first into

59:33the wall and drag him inside the

59:35courthouse . This precise image , the

59:40image of a furious Luigi Mangione with

59:42this expression of anger on his face ,

59:45is published everywhere to reinforce a

59:47very specific narrative , that of a

59:50fanatic , a dangerous man , an extremist

59:52full of hatred who murdered an innocent

59:55man in cold blood in broad daylight in

59:57front of everyone . Luigi the defendant

1:00:07is one of murder in the first degree

1:00:10including murdere

1:00:22and yet something is starting to change

1:00:25despite the attempts of the media and

1:00:27government authorities to portray him

1:00:30as a ruthless monster , a terrorist , by

1:00:33publishing only the images in which he

1:00:36has a furious look , the expression of a

1:00:39rabid dog growling at people , the

1:00:41public opinion is starting to see

1:00:43something else . More and more people

1:00:47are starting to notice something that

1:00:49goes beyond that narrative . In the

1:00:51videos , in the details that gradually

1:00:54emerge . Luigi Mangione does not seem

1:00:56like a fanatic at all . In their eyes ,

1:00:59he appears to be a kind , altruistic ,

1:01:01and almost fragile young boy . And this

1:01:05perception so distant from the one

1:01:07shouted by the newspapers gains

1:01:09strength especially when little by

1:01:11little they begin to dig into his life .

| Luigi Nicholas Mangione

1:01:15So who is Luigi Mangione ? What do we

1:01:18know about him ? Luigi Nicolas Mangione

1:01:59was born on May 6 , 1998 , to his parents

1:02:01Caitlyn and Luigi ; he is known to

1:02:03everyone as Luis and also has two

1:02:05sisters , whose names are Maria Santa

1:02:07and Lucia , or Luciana according to

1:02:09their official registry office records .

1:02:12His origins , as we can guess from these

1:02:15names , are Italian . His

1:02:17great-grandfather was in fact Sicilian

1:02:19from Castro Giovanni , which today would

1:02:21be Enna , and arrived in the United

1:02:23States between 1800 and 1909 , like many

1:02:26other Italians of the time , in search

1:02:28of a better future . Luigi's grandfather

1:02:30, the son of his Sicilian

1:02:32great-grandfather , was born in

1:02:34Baltimore , Maryland and was , let's say ,

1:02:36self-made because he was born into this

1:02:39, precisely , very humble family of

1:02:41Italian immigrants . But then after

1:02:44returning from the war , he reinvented

1:02:47himself by purchasing Turf Valley

1:02:49Resort , an incredible country club ,

1:02:52together with his wife , and then buying

1:02:54two more in the following years ,

1:02:57creating a real estate empire and

1:02:59becoming one of the most respected

1:03:01families in the Baltimore area . The

1:03:05Mangione family is not only known for

1:03:07its financial success , but also for its

1:03:09social commitment . Mary , who would be

1:03:12the grandmother , is very active in the

1:03:14Catholic Daughters of America , which is

1:03:16a women's association specifically for

1:03:17charitable works . Luigi's parents are

1:03:21no exception . His father , together with

1:03:24his grandparents , founded a company of

1:03:26nursing homes and assistance facilities

1:03:29that today manages nine specialized

1:03:31centers in Maryland and focuses on the

1:03:34well-being of local communities . The

1:03:37Mangione family maintains a

1:03:39long-standing tradition of supporting

1:03:40the Maryland healthcare system , with a

1:03:42particular focus on the Greater

1:03:44Baltimore Medical Center . All 37

1:03:46grandchildren of the elderly Mangiones

1:03:49were born there , including Luigi . Over

1:03:53time , the family has donated over $ 1

1:03:55million to the hospital , which today

1:03:58has named its high-risk obstetrics unit

1:04:00after them , and this is not even the

1:04:02only hospital that the Mangione family

1:04:04has supported throughout the years . In

1:04:07fact , through their foundation , the

1:04:10Mangione Family Foundation supports

1:04:12three other hospitals , also in Maryland

1:04:14. The family is therefore

1:04:17well-established and influential in the

1:04:19state of Maryland , also on a political

1:04:21level . Luigi's cousin , Nino Mangione ,

1:04:24is a local Republican congressman .

1:04:28Luigi was born into privilege and

1:04:30attended a prestigious private all-boys

1:04:33school , the Gilman School , an elite

1:04:35institution with an annual tuition of

1:04:38around $ 40,000 . Here , Luigi was at the

1:04:42top of his class , or rather , not just

1:04:44his class , because he was elected

1:04:47Valedictorian , which is an award given

1:04:49to the student with the highest

1:04:51academic results in the entire school .

1:04:54But it's not just grades that count . A

1:04:58Valedictorian must also be a role model

1:05:01for the other students , a disciplined ,

1:05:03consistent person with a sense of

1:05:06responsibility , leadership , and active

1:05:08participation in the life of the school

1:05:11, which Luigi is by all accounts . One

1:05:14of his former high school classmates

1:05:15stated that Luigi did not have any

1:05:17enemies while he was attending school .

1:05:19He was highly regarded ; he was a winner

1:05:21both in his studies and in his social

1:05:23life . He was in fact a brilliant

1:05:26student , a sportsman , and even the

1:05:28leader of the robotics club . He even

1:05:32made it to the finals of a state

1:05:34competition for having built a sort of

1:05:36robot . Luigi then graduated from the

1:05:42University of Pennsylvania , known for

1:05:44being among the most renowned academic

1:05:47institutions in the world , and in 2020

1:05:49he earned a bachelor's and master's

1:05:51degree in computer engineering and

1:05:53founded a video game development club .

1:05:57His major was computer science and

1:05:59cognitive science , so he also studied

1:06:01new artificial intelligence

1:06:03technologies in depth . But despite his

1:06:07background as a wealthy and privileged

1:06:09boy , Luigi is described by everyone who

1:06:12knows him as the most humble and normal

1:06:15person in the world , kind , altruistic ,

1:06:18always ready to help others . I don't

1:06:28think it was him and other kind of

1:06:32keeping the club together . After

1:06:38graduating , Luigi worked as a data

1:06:40engineer for True Car , which is a

1:06:42digital retail website for new and used

1:06:44cars , and in 2022 he moved to Hawaii ,

1:06:47specifically to Honolulu , in order to

1:06:49work remotely from that location . This

1:06:52is obviously a paradise , a place

1:06:54featuring white sand beaches , turquoise

1:06:56water , and a community that is both

1:06:58young and international in nature . A

1:07:00perfect place for a guy like him , who

1:07:02is an athlete and a true lover of the

1:07:04natural world . In Hawaii , for example ,

1:07:06you can surf at dawn , go hiking among

1:07:08volcanoes , swim with , I don't know ,

1:07:10turtles , and in the evening drink a

1:07:13beer while watching the sunset together

1:07:15with guys from every corner of the

1:07:17world . It's a little paradise on earth ,

1:07:20in short , the dream of anyone who wants

1:07:23to live a free , carefree life , full of

1:07:25sun and sea . In fact , Luigi goes to

1:07:29live in a community of surfers in a

1:07:31place called Surfreak , a place that is

1:07:33basically a mix between a surfhouse , a

1:07:35coworking space and a coleiving . On the

1:07:40Surfbreak website we read : Surfbreak is

1:07:42a global , lively and inclusive network

1:07:44of adventurers , digital nomads and

1:07:47conscious travelers united by the

1:07:49shared lifestyle in our coiving and

1:07:51coworking spaces . So it is a place

1:07:55where you can live alongside other

1:07:57people who share your same mindset , who

1:07:59tend to enjoy surfing and playing

1:08:01sports , and with whom you share both

1:08:03the common living spaces and , very

1:08:05often , your own days spent working

1:08:07remotely . In short , it's incredibly

1:08:09cool , also because the structure is

1:08:12truly amazing judging from the photos

1:08:14on the website . So , a young and

1:08:17stimulating environment where Luigi

1:08:19feels great and where he makes lots of

1:08:22friends , even founding a book club . Now

1:08:27, this whole book club situation has

1:08:29become a subject of controversy because

1:08:31someone managed to find Luigi's

1:08:33Goodreads account , which is a website

1:08:35where you can keep track of the books

1:08:38you are reading or have already

1:08:39finished , while also leaving your own

1:08:42reviews ; and it turns out that some

1:08:44books which Luigi has supposedly read

1:08:46have raised quite a few differing

1:08:48opinions , let us put it that way , among

1:08:50those people who took note . So , Luigi

1:08:54used to read a great deal , truly a

1:08:56great deal , and he dedicated time to

1:08:58the writing of reviews for almost every

1:09:01book that he read , and therefore , by

1:09:03necessity , I cannot read them all to

1:09:06you . I'll read you the three most

1:09:10controversial reviews , let's say , but

1:09:13keep in mind that they are not all like

1:09:15this , I mean , most of them are normal

1:09:18books with normal reviews , you know ,

1:09:20but these three , considering what

1:09:22happened later , obviously make people

1:09:25think or at least made them think . The

| GOOD READS

1:09:32first one I'm going to read to you is

1:09:35his review of the book Brave New World

1:09:38by Aldos Axley , a dystopian novel

1:09:40published in 1932 that tells the story

1:09:43of a future society where everyone

1:09:46lives in apparent happiness but at the

1:09:49cost of individual freedom . Human

1:09:53beings are no longer born in a natural

1:09:55way , but are instead created within a

1:09:57laboratory , divided into rigid castes ,

1:09:59and programmed from the moment of their

1:10:00birth to accept their assigned social

1:10:02role . Families , religion , and art no

1:10:05longer exist ; there is only consumption

1:10:08, pleasure , and obedience . People

1:10:11remain calm and in a state of constant

1:10:13happiness thanks to a drug known as

1:10:16soma , which effectively eliminates

1:10:18every trace of sadness and all critical

1:10:20thinking . Here , Luigi gives 5 stars to

1:10:24this book , which is indeed an

1:10:26incredible book , and in the review he

1:10:28only writes four quotes from the book .

1:10:32I'll read them to you : they are the

1:10:33best quotes in the book , after all ,

1:10:35they're nothing special . However , " a

1:10:38dose is always better than a curse " ,

1:10:40which in the original language is a bit

1:10:42of a pun because it almost rhymes : it

1:10:44would be " A gram is always better than

1:10:47a dam " . The second quote is : " I would

1:10:50rather be myself , " he said , " I myself

1:10:52and bad , rather than someone else , no

1:10:54matter how cheerful they might be . " The

1:10:57third quote is : " But I do not desire

1:10:59comfort , I want God , I want poetry , I

1:11:01want real danger , I want freedom , I

1:11:03want goodness , and I want to experience

1:11:06sin . " And the final quote that Luigi

1:11:09includes in his review is : " True

1:11:11happiness always appears rather squalid

1:11:13when compared to the vast exaggerations

1:11:15of misery ; and , of course , stability is

1:11:17not even remotely as spectacular as

1:11:19instability , and contentment possesses

1:11:21none of the charm and the fine fight

1:11:23against misfortune , none of the

1:11:24inherent beauty found in a battle

1:11:26against temptation , or the grandeur of

1:11:28a fatal fall brought about by the

1:11:30overwhelming force of passion or the

1:11:32persistent weight of doubt . " Happiness

1:11:35is never grandiose . This review struck

1:11:39a chord with online users because it

1:11:42could reflect Luigi's state of mind and

1:11:44worldview , the rejection of artificial

1:11:47and comfortable happiness and the

1:11:49search for an authentic life , even if

1:11:52painful . Another review by Luigi that

1:11:56caused quite a stir among users is the

1:11:58one regarding the book The Four Hour

1:12:01Work Week , or The 4 - Hour Workweek , as

1:12:03it is known . Luigi gives this book four

1:12:06stars and then proceeds to write his

1:12:07own opinion on a few specific aspects .

1:12:10In the first part of the review , he

1:12:12essentially summarizes the entire book ;

1:12:13I will not read that section to you

1:12:15because it is quite superfluous , and

1:12:16then he writes this : " All the

1:12:18suggestions within this book stem from

1:12:19Tim's deep disdain for the conventional

1:12:21idea of accepting things simply because

1:12:22that is the way one is supposed to do

1:12:24them . I believe this is precisely why

1:12:26the book struck me so profoundly . I

1:12:28have shared this way of thinking since

1:12:30I was a young child . I am reminded of

1:12:31an old argument we used to have at the

1:12:33dinner table at home . Every time we ate

1:12:35steak , I would use the knife in my left

1:12:37hand and the fork in my right ,

1:12:38something that drove my mother

1:12:40absolutely crazy . She would always

1:12:42remind me to cut with my right hand ,

1:12:44since I was right-handed , and then to

1:12:45switch the fork to my right hand for

1:12:47every single bite . When I asked her the

1:12:50reason why , she would simply reply : "

1:12:51Because that is how it is done . " " " Not

1:12:52satisfied , I insisted and she replied : "

1:12:55Because it's good manners . " At 6 years

1:12:57old I found this the most useless and

1:12:59inefficient process in the world and I

1:13:01said so openly . Why on earth would I

1:13:03change hands with every bite just to

1:13:05follow an arbitrary convention ? The

1:13:07final answer was : " One day you will

1:13:09meet a nice girl and when you go out to

1:13:11dinner with her you will have to have

1:13:13good manners . " My answer then as now

1:13:15was that someone who gives so much

1:13:17importance to something so small and

1:13:19insignificant is probably not someone I

1:13:22want to spend my time with . The users '

1:13:24interest in this review stems from two

1:13:27things . On the one hand , Luigi appears

1:13:31as an extremely lucid , rational , almost

1:13:34philosophical person , certainly not as

1:13:36a fanatic ready to kill for an ideology

1:13:39. On the other hand , there is , um , that

1:13:43anecdote about his mother that , um , is

1:13:46striking for its almost symbolic power ,

1:13:49right ? Some have reflected on the fact

1:13:52that perhaps the rigidity with which he

1:13:54was raised may have contributed to

1:13:56making him a rebel against any form of

1:13:59authority , as if that strict ,

1:14:01inflexible mother were the one who was

1:14:03... was the first figure to impose

1:14:05himself and it is possible that his

1:14:09rebellion may have in some way

1:14:11originated from that specific point .

1:14:14But if I may offer my two cents on this

1:14:16matter , I believe that many of these

1:14:18users are unaware that American

1:14:20etiquette truly dictates an official

1:14:22and specific method for the proper way

1:14:24to eat steak . It's called the zigzag

1:14:28and it involves exactly what Luigi's

1:14:31mother told him to do , that is , cut

1:14:33with the knife on the right side , if

1:14:35you're right-handed , and then put the

1:14:37knife down , move the fork to your right

1:14:40hand , eat and then start over . It is

1:14:44strictly a rule of etiquette , so gosh ,

1:14:45I do not think that Mangione's mother

1:14:47created a killer solely for this reason

1:14:49, but rather that perhaps she is merely

1:14:51a product of a certain cultural

1:14:52heritage that has been passed down

1:14:54through the generations . The last book

1:14:57I'm going to talk about is the most

1:15:00controversial of all ; that's why I

1:15:02saved it for last , and it's " Industrial

1:15:04Society and Its Future " , nothing less

1:15:07than the manifesto book-this is a

1:15:09manifesto-by Ted Kasinski , Luna Bomber .

1:15:13Do you remember Luna Bomber , which

1:15:15Luigi mentioned in His notebook ? Here

1:15:17we go . So , if you're here , you're

1:15:20probably interested in true crime , and

1:15:21if you're interested in true crime , I

1:15:23don't even have to explain the story of

1:15:25Ted Kazinski , but if you know me , you

1:15:26know I'll do it anyway . Ted Kazinski

1:15:32was a genius , in the truest sense of

1:15:34the word . He's a man who graduated from

1:15:38Harvard at the age of 20 , who then

1:15:40became a professor of mathematics at

1:15:43the University of Berkeley , and who , at

1:15:45a certain point , finally gave it all up

1:15:48; He retreated to live as a hermit

1:15:50inside a small cabin in the woods and ,

1:15:52between 1978 and 1995 , he sent bombs

1:15:55through the mail to universities and

1:15:57airlines , killing three people and

1:15:59injuring 23 others . The reason behind

1:16:04this violent act was that he had

1:16:06developed the firm conviction that

1:16:08technology and industrialization were

1:16:10ultimately destroying the fundamental

1:16:11essence of human freedom . That's why he

1:16:16wrote his manifesto , the book The

1:16:17Industrial Society and Its Future , in

1:16:19which he explained all this and in

1:16:21which he argued that only by freeing

1:16:23ourselves from the technological system

1:16:25can we achieve our goal . Man would have

1:16:28truly become independent again . Now

1:16:31let's talk about Luigi . He has this

1:16:33four-star book and in his review he

1:16:35clearly writes that it was written by a

1:16:38mathematical prodigy . It reads like a

1:16:41series of dilemmas about the quality of

1:16:43life in the 20th century . It's easy to

1:16:46quickly and thoughtlessly dismiss it as

1:16:48a madman's manifesto to avoid

1:16:49addressing some of the uncomfortable

1:16:51issues it highlights . But it is simply

1:16:54impossible to ignore just how

1:16:56far-sighted many of its various

1:16:57predictions concerning our modern

1:16:59society truly were . He was a violent

1:17:01individual , who was rightly imprisoned

1:17:03for the harm he caused to innocent

1:17:05people . Although these actions tend to

1:17:08be described as those of a Luddite

1:17:10lunatic , in reality , they can be more

1:17:12accurately viewed as those belonging to

1:17:13an extreme political revolutionary . A

1:17:16comment that I have found , or rather

1:17:18that I find interesting , says : " This is

1:17:20still Luigi's review . " Well , so he

1:17:22quotes this comment that he found

1:17:24online and that he found interesting .

1:17:26The comment reads : " He had the courage

1:17:28to acknowledge that peaceful protest

1:17:30got us absolutely nowhere and , when all

1:17:32is said and done , he was probably right

1:17:34. The oil barons never listened to the

1:17:36environmentalists in the past , but they

1:17:38were certainly afraid of him . " When all

1:17:40other forms of communication have

1:17:42failed , violence becomes a necessary

1:17:44means in order to survive . You may not

1:17:46agree with his methods , but if you look

1:17:48at it from his perspective , it’s not

1:17:50terrorism , it’s war and revolution .

1:17:53Peaceful protest is completely ignored .

1:17:55Economic protest is not possible in the

1:17:58current system . So how long should we

1:18:00wait before recognizing that violence

1:18:02against those who are leading us

1:18:04towards destruction can be considered

1:18:07legitimate defense ? These companies

1:18:09don’t care about you , your children

1:18:11or your grandchildren , they have no

1:18:13qualms about burning the planet to make

1:18:15money . So why should we have any qualms

1:18:18about burning them in order for us to

1:18:20survive ? We are animals like all the

1:18:22others on this planet , only we have

1:18:24forgotten the law of the jungle and we

1:18:26bow down to our masters , whereas any

1:18:28other animal would recognize the threat

1:18:29immediately and would fight until death

1:18:31for the sake of its own survival .

1:18:34Violence has never solved anything .

1:18:36It’s a phrase uttered by cowards and

1:18:38predators . It’s only natural that

1:18:42reading this review written by him in

1:18:44light of everything that has happened ,

1:18:46especially knowing what he would write

1:18:49in his notebook , is only natural that

1:18:51it sends shivers down your spine . But I

1:18:56cannot help but dot the i's , because I

1:18:58intend to deal with the Unabomber case ,

1:19:01and this is something that I think and

1:19:03will share with you as well in the

1:19:05episode that I am going to produce

1:19:07about him ; and I don't want you to

1:19:10think I'm an extremist or a terrorist

1:19:12when I tell you that I don't think it's

1:19:14so strange that he found Kasinski's

1:19:17manifesto interesting . It's not the

1:19:20first and it won't be the last .

1:19:22Kasinski's manifesto is interesting and

1:19:25that's precisely what makes the bomber

1:19:27case so disturbing . The fact that it's

1:19:31not a disjointed and crazy text is a

1:19:34lucid , logical piece of writing ,

1:19:37clearly written by a brilliant mind .

1:19:41There are many philosophers and

1:19:43sociologists who , while obviously

1:19:45condemning violence , have recognized

1:19:47that some of his criticisms of

1:19:49industrial society and technological

1:19:52control are anything but irrational .

1:19:56But getting back to the story , getting

1:19:58back to Luigi , as we said in 2022 ,

1:20:01Luigi went to live in Onolulu , Hawaii ,

1:20:03he lives in that surf town , he has many

1:20:05friends , he reads a lot of books and

1:20:08among the books he reads , in addition

1:20:10to those mentioned before , there are

1:20:12some books on chronic pain . Chronic

1:20:16back pain . In fact , Luigi seems to

| Spondilolistesi

1:20:23suffer from spondylolisthesis , also

1:20:25called spondylolisthesis , which is a

1:20:28condition of the spine in which one

1:20:30vertebra slips forward compared to the

1:20:32one below it . This displacement can

1:20:36compress the nerves and cause very

1:20:39severe lower back pain , stiffness and

1:20:41even numbness in the legs . During the

1:20:45period in which Luigi lived in Hawaii ,

1:20:47he already suffered from this condition

1:20:50and ; in fact , his condition worsened

1:20:52right here in Hawaii and we know this

1:20:55from the stories of some people close

1:20:57to him , such as for example a former

1:21:00roommate , who said that the chronic

1:21:02pain that Luigi felt in his back

1:21:04prevented him from doing many normal

1:21:06things , such as playing sports or even

1:21:09having intimate relationships with

1:21:11girls . I would like to delve a little

1:21:26deeper into the issue regarding Luigi's

1:21:29back pain , also because many people

1:21:31consider it a possible reason for his

1:21:33alleged hostility towards health

1:21:35insurance companies , and therefore , it

1:21:37is also regarded as a possible motive

1:21:39for his actions . No , in the alleged

1:21:44gesture towards Brian Thompson . So ,

1:21:47there is or rather there was a profile

1:21:50on Reddit that was attributed to Luigi

1:21:52Mangione , a profile with the username

1:21:55Mister Cactus . Today that profile has

1:21:59been deleted and can no longer be found

1:22:01, but screenshots of almost everything

1:22:04he wrote are still circulating online .

1:22:07As you know , the trial against Luigi

1:22:09Mangione has not yet begun at the

1:22:11moment in which I am recording this

1:22:13video , at least . So I want to clarify

1:22:16that it has never been officially

1:22:19confirmed with 100 % certainty that he

1:22:21was behind this profile . Having said

1:22:25that , friends , from what he writes it

1:22:27would really seem so , that is to say

1:22:29that it was his profile because

1:22:31everything matches , his age , the

1:22:33university he says he attends , the

1:22:35trips he says he makes , his back

1:22:36problems . In short , I'm making this

1:22:40clarification because I like to be

1:22:42maniacally precise , but practically all

1:22:44the main sources take it for granted ,

1:22:47that is , they take it for granted that

1:22:49this profile was his . If I have to say

1:22:52my piece , I'm also convinced that it

1:22:54was his profile , but anyway , I made

1:22:56this specification just to be on the

1:22:58safe side . The posts he published are

1:23:01interesting for two reasons . First ,

1:23:05they allow us to understand how much

1:23:07Luigi was suffering physically and

1:23:09consequently also psychologically

1:23:11during that period and , in short , to

1:23:13put everything that happened into

1:23:15context . This is important . And second ,

1:23:21they help us to get to know who he was

1:23:24as a person better , because the posts ,

1:23:27the comments , the way he responded to

1:23:31other users say a lot about him and

1:23:34also explain why today many people tend

1:23:37to see him not as a danger , but as

1:23:40someone to be understood , if not even

1:23:43defended . In July 2018 , when Luigi was

1:23:4820 years old , he replied to a post from

1:23:52a user who talked about his

1:23:54excruciating pain related to Spondi and

1:23:57was particularly affected by chronic

1:24:00pain . The user talks about a

1:24:04particularly significant cognitive

1:24:06decline and Luigi , always assuming that

1:24:08he is the one behind the user Mis

1:24:10Cactus , responds with this : " Hi , I'm a

1:24:1220 - year-old guy and I've had similar

1:24:14symptoms since I was 15. I'm also a

1:24:17very critical , logical person , and I

1:24:19study computer science and

1:24:20bioinformatics . " At the beginning , my

1:24:24symptoms were very mild and I was doing

1:24:26just fine in high school , but last year

1:24:27they worsened in an exponential way

1:24:29following the Hellwick . very quiet in

1:24:32my fraternity . I simply was not able to

1:24:35recover from an entire week

1:24:36characterized by such disturbed sleep .

1:24:38The people around you probably won't

1:24:40understand your symptoms . They

1:24:41certainly don't understand mine . And as

1:24:43every single test comes back negative ,

1:24:45the doctors won't have the slightest

1:24:47clue as to what is actually

1:24:48going on . I'm sure you already know

1:24:51most of this stuff , but basically I

1:24:52just want to say that you're not alone .

1:24:55Hang in there . If you should ever feel

1:24:57like talking , I am certain that we

1:24:58could learn a great deal from the

1:25:00stories of one another . Edit . Grammar

1:25:02errors due to brain fog . Brain fog is

1:25:08that feeling of , um , not being able to

1:25:11think clearly . You struggle to remember

1:25:14, to reason , you feel foggy . Luigi also

1:25:16talks about his Brainfog in two other

1:25:19comments in response to another user .

1:25:23Elaborating on the matter , he writes : "

1:25:25Thank you , facing my degree has

1:25:27definitely been harder than anything I

1:25:29ever thought I could handle . I went

1:25:32from having almost everyone in a

1:25:33demanding school to barely passing my

1:25:35exams and not understanding a thing ,

1:25:37despite probably putting in twice as

1:25:39much effort . There were several times

1:25:41when I thought about quitting , but

1:25:43ultimately I decided that quitting

1:25:44would have been much worse . The days

1:25:47when I have nothing to do seem to be

1:25:49the absolute worst . Struggling to

1:25:51understand my lectures and assignments

1:25:53is difficult , but experiencing the same

1:25:55level of difficulty when trying to

1:25:57watch YouTube or read an interesting

1:25:59book is even worse ; I cannot even enjoy

1:26:01my free time . At the same time , staying

1:26:04at university has at least allowed me

1:26:05to maintain some semblance of normalcy .

1:26:07I can still see my friends , attend my

1:26:09classes , and at least live what feels

1:26:11like 10 % of a university experience . I

1:26:13think it is important to hold on to

1:26:15everything we can for as long as

1:26:16possible . Each year I have improved as

1:26:18a person , learning new things , meeting

1:26:20new people , and so on . Last year I was

1:26:22able to do something that I previously

1:26:24did not have time for . " I stopped

1:26:26attempting anything new and simply

1:26:27clung onto everything that I had

1:26:29managed to build for myself over all

1:26:30these years . I don’t expect to make

1:26:32any progress anytime soon , but I refuse

1:26:34to regress if possible . I would really

1:26:36encourage you to talk to your friends

1:26:38about it , if you’re still close

1:26:39enough with them . I used to make

1:26:41excuses for my plummeting grades too . I

1:26:44would tell my friends that my GPA

1:26:46didn’t really matter in computer

1:26:47science , so I didn’t care . But by

1:26:49hiding my symptoms , I prevented myself

1:26:51from getting advice from them that

1:26:53would later turn out to be really

1:26:55helpful . At the same time , hiding your

1:26:57symptoms only makes it harder for

1:26:59people to believe you when you finally

1:27:01reveal them . The day I wrote this part

1:27:04of the case , I asked you on Instagram

1:27:07if anyone was suffering from

1:27:08spondylosis and would like to tell me a

1:27:10bit about their symptoms . Many of you

1:27:14responded and what emerged , beyond the

1:27:17physical pain of course , is precisely

1:27:19this : the sensation of losing clarity ,

1:27:21the difficulty in remaining focused ,

1:27:24that feeling of being inside a bubble ,

1:27:26as if everything else around you were

1:27:28distant , as though you were separated

1:27:31from the world . muffled . In August 2021

1:27:37, Luigi wrote a post specifically

1:27:39intended to offer encouragement on the

1:27:41subject . He wrote this : " It is easy to

1:27:44become overwhelmed by the flood of

1:27:45horror stories that can be found on the

1:27:47internet . When my spinal condition

1:27:49worsened last year , at 23 years of age ,

1:27:51it was devastating , especially for a

1:27:53young and athletic person such as

1:27:55myself . Everything that I read online

1:27:57seemed to imply that I was destined for

1:27:59a lifetime of chronic pain and a

1:28:01sedentary desk job forever . That

1:28:02particular representation was

1:28:04frightening , inaccurate , and it

1:28:05completely destroyed my morale until I

1:28:07finally realized that the vast majority

1:28:09of spinal fusion operations are

1:28:10actually quite successful ; it is simply

1:28:12that the people who have recovered well

1:28:14almost never post their experiences

1:28:16online . I hope , therefore , that this

1:28:17message might provide some assistance

1:28:19to others who find themselves in the

1:28:20same situation as me . This is not an

1:28:22encouragement to undergo the surgery ,

1:28:24but simply a message of reassurance . An

1:28:27active and athletic life is absolutely

1:28:29possible even after a fusion , if and

1:28:30when the operation becomes necessary .

1:28:34In this list , there are more success

1:28:36stories than anyone would likely care

1:28:37to read , and that is precisely the

1:28:39point . " There are so many . Then he puts

1:28:43together this list of , I don't know ,

1:28:45about twenty links , each with an

1:28:47encouraging story of athletes or

1:28:49ordinary people who , despite suffering

1:28:51from back problems , have managed to

1:28:53accomplish some truly great things . And

1:28:57then he writes things such as , for

1:28:59example , that if he is unable to sleep

1:29:01for more than 6 hours during a single

1:29:04night , he feels a sense of intense ,

1:29:06severe nausea for the entire day , and

1:29:08that this has been happening for so

1:29:10many years that he is now convinced it

1:29:12is normal , and he is asking for advice

1:29:15to see if other people experience the

1:29:17exact same thing as he does . Now , from

1:29:20his posts and his comments — of which I

1:29:23have obviously read only a few , though

1:29:25there are many more — we are able to

1:29:27understand several things . We

1:29:29understand that Luigi suffers , that he

1:29:31has various health problems that force

1:29:34him to live a life different from his

1:29:36peers . But there's also something else

1:29:40that stands out to people , the fact

1:29:42that Luigi seems like an extremely kind

1:29:44person . Basically , as a general rule ,

1:29:48online users create fake profiles for

1:29:50themselves in order to insult other

1:29:52people ; While Luigi uses a fake profile

1:29:54, or at any rate an anonymous one ,

1:29:56without showing his name or his face ,

1:29:58to help people , to motivate them , to

1:30:00provide them with guidance , and to

1:30:01offer them a sense of hope . Considering

1:30:05the fact that he is accused of having

1:30:07killed a person in cold blood , this ,

1:30:10let's say , psychological profile of his

1:30:12is jarring : I mean , it's not a common

1:30:15thing . Friends , I don't know , I've told

1:30:18maybe 500 stories on YouTube , not

1:30:20counting the two podcasts and the books

1:30:22. And usually , when one digs into the

1:30:27past of someone accused of a crime ,

1:30:29whatever the crime may be , something

1:30:32negative always emerges , even something

1:30:35trivial , a minor matter , yet that

1:30:38detail that leads people to say : " Hmm ,

1:30:40well , I suppose there was a sign there

1:30:43after all . " In Luigi's case , however ,

1:30:47the opposite happens , that is , the

1:30:49further back you go , the more you dig ,

1:30:51the more the image that emerges is that

1:30:53of a nice person . There is not a friend

1:30:56, a schoolmate , an ex-girlfriend , no

1:30:59one who has ever said a negative word

1:31:01about him , not even by mistake . And yet

1:31:06, the press is attempting in every

1:31:08possible way to paint him as a monster ,

1:31:10and we are witnessing , perhaps , the

1:31:12only time in history when they are

1:31:14failing , because only positive

1:31:16anecdotes about him continue to emerge .

1:31:20Take , for instance , the story behind

1:31:22this photo : a smiling Luigi , leaning

1:31:24against a door , while holding a tub of

1:31:26ice cream adorned with a bow made of

1:31:28blue ribbon , presented just like a gift

1:31:30package . The story behind this photo is

1:31:33that in the surf house where Luigi was

1:31:35living at the time , there was this girl

1:31:37who really wanted a particular ice

1:31:39cream , but on that day it had run out ,

1:31:41that specific flavor had finished , so

1:31:43she was not able to eat it . Well , Luigi

1:31:45had practically gone to great lengths

1:31:47to find it . He had stuck this little

1:31:51bow on it using some makeshift blue

1:31:53adhesive tape and had brought it to her

1:31:55just to make her happy . Or even , listen

1:31:59to this , in the months before the

1:32:02murder , specifically in February and

1:32:05March , Luigi had toured Asia traveling

1:32:08with only a backpack on his shoulders .

1:32:11At the moment we know for sure that he

1:32:13visited Japan and Thailand . Well , at a

1:32:17certain point , the owner of the small

1:32:19hotel in the town of Tenkawa , a tiny

1:32:22village in Japan , came forward and

1:32:24shared that Luigi was not only his most

1:32:27tranquil , silent , and tidy guest , but

1:32:29he was also the most respectful and the

1:32:32most kind individual to have ever

1:32:34stayed at his establishment . His own

1:32:40lawyers claim that one of the first

1:32:42things Luigi did after being arrested

1:32:45was to apologize to the authorities for

1:32:48the inconvenience caused and then make

1:32:51sure that the name of the person who

1:32:54had called the authorities to have him

1:32:57arrested would not be revealed by the

1:33:00media . His words were reportedly : They

1:33:03won't spread the information about the

1:33:05McDonald's manager , will they ? It

1:33:08wouldn't be good for her . A great many

1:33:10people are going to be upset that I

1:33:12have been arrested . You can see that a

1:33:14short circuit is created in the minds

1:33:17of many people and it is natural to ask

1:33:20themselves : " Okay , but then what

1:33:22happened ? How is it possible that a boy

1:33:26who seems so intelligent , kind , with

1:33:29such a bright future ahead of him ,

1:33:31could have done something like that ? He

1:33:35really did it only as a revolt against

1:33:38the healthcare system in the United

1:33:41States . But is something like that

1:33:43possible ? Also because we are talking

1:33:46about a boy who comes from an

1:33:48incredibly wealthy family . So if in

1:33:51this story you are expecting someone

1:33:53who at a certain point blows up against

1:33:56the healthcare system , you imagine a

1:33:58poor person , a person in difficulty ,

1:34:00crushed by a reality that leaves them

1:34:02no escape . Not someone who , at least on

1:34:07paper , could afford any treatment , any

1:34:10doctor , any solution . Luigi literally

1:34:13seems like a rich man who sacrificed

1:34:15himself for a problem that was not his ,

1:34:18for the problem of the less fortunate ,

1:34:20in other words a Robin Hood if you like

1:34:22. However , there is one fact that in

1:34:25the minds of many people could be a

1:34:27connection with what happened . Let's go

1:34:31back for a moment to the timeline of

1:34:33events that characterized Luigi's life

1:34:36before the murder . There are a few

1:34:41things that happened . A series of

1:34:43events which to this day are not yet

1:34:45entirely clear , but which could

1:34:46potentially serve as a warning sign . In

1:34:50July 2023 , Luigi underwent surgery to

1:34:53resolve his back problem , his Spondi .

1:34:57In fact , he had also mentioned that

1:34:59fusion surgery of his over on Reddit as

1:35:02well . This type of operation usually

1:35:06involves putting the vertebrae involved

1:35:09back in position and then stabilizing

1:35:12them with screws as if it were a sort

1:35:15of internal scaffolding . Often , the

1:35:19vertebrae are also fused together , that

1:35:21is , they are permanently joined

1:35:23together , so as to eliminate

1:35:24instability and , generally , pain . And

1:35:28we know that Luigi underwent this

1:35:30operation because he himself shared a

1:35:32photo of his back X-ray on Twitter , or

1:35:34X — perhaps at that time it was still

1:35:36known as Twitter , I am not entirely

1:35:38certain about what it was called back

1:35:40then . In the photo , it is indeed

1:35:43possible to see what is presumably his

1:35:45spine with four screws fixed in the

1:35:47middle , and from what we have been able

1:35:49to learn , it would seem that something

1:35:52has changed significantly ever since

1:35:54this operation . Or rather , at first it

1:35:57seems that everything went well ; in

1:35:59fact , again on Reddit , He writes : " The

1:36:02surgery was not nearly as frightening

1:36:04as I had imagined it in my own mind ,

1:36:06and within the span of a single week , I

1:36:08understood that it had been the right

1:36:10choice . " But something must have gone

1:36:14wrong , because the same friend of Luigi

1:36:16who described how his back pain

1:36:18prevented him from doing things that

1:36:20were completely normal for a boy of his

1:36:22age , do you remember that part ? He also

1:36:26mentions that some time after the

1:36:28surgery , when this friend wrote to

1:36:30Luigi in April 2024 to ask how the

1:36:32procedure had gone , Luigi reportedly

1:36:35only replied by saying " long story , the

1:36:37end , " and he did not provide any

1:36:39further details regarding the situation

1:36:41. And you might now be thinking the

1:36:45same thing I thought at the time , that

1:36:48perhaps something really must have gone

1:36:50wrong with the surgery , that perhaps

1:36:52there was a complication , some

1:36:54lingering pain , some disappointment ,

1:36:57something . And perhaps you are also

1:37:00left wondering , what if Luigi had

1:37:02United Healthcare as his insurance

1:37:04provider ? And what if this was the very

1:37:08reason why he decided to take it out

1:37:11specifically on CEO Brian Thompson ? But

1:37:16no , from what I can tell . We know that

1:37:18neither Luigi nor his family members

1:37:20were covered by United Healthcare

1:37:22insurance . So in February-March 2024 ,

1:37:26Luigi was traveling around Asia . In

1:37:30April , he sent this cryptic message to

1:37:32his friend , but didn't explain anything

1:37:35else . That is , he told a long story

1:37:37about the operation , but didn't explain

1:37:39anything . From then until the murder

1:37:43that occurred in December 2024 , it's

1:37:45really hard to understand what Luigi

1:37:48had done or what state he was in . One

1:37:52thing is certain , though , he had

1:37:55disappeared , in the sense that those

1:37:57close to him didn't know where he was

1:38:00and couldn't find him anymore . In July

1:38:042024 , in fact , one of his friends wrote

1:38:07to him on Twitter . He wrote : " Hey , I

1:38:11need you to call me . I don't know if

1:38:13you're okay or if you're in a super

1:38:15isolated place where you don't have

1:38:17coverage , but I haven't heard from you

1:38:20in months ; you made plans with me for

1:38:22my wedding and , if you can't honor them

1:38:24, I need to know so I can organize

1:38:26myself . " In another tweet from November

1:38:2925th , we read : " Thinking of you and

1:38:31praying for you . Know every day that we

1:38:34miss you and love you . This person ,

1:38:37from what I've read , should be the

1:38:39mother of his friend who wrote to him

1:38:41about the wedding . We also know that on

1:38:45November 18 , 2024 , a month before Brian

1:38:48Thompson’s death , Luigi's own family

1:38:51formally reported his disappearance to

1:38:54the authorities , stating that it had

1:38:57been since July that they were no

1:38:59longer able to establish any form of

1:39:02contact with him . So , friends , there

1:39:06are so many questions . What happened

1:39:08from July to December ? Where was Luigi

1:39:11Mangione ? Where did he get the gun , how

1:39:15did he manage to cut the shells and why

1:39:17, what is the real reason that would

1:39:20have driven him to commit such a crime ?

1:39:23Why is there so much people who think

1:39:25that it is all nothing but a conspiracy

1:39:28? Are they really all people just

1:39:30obsessed with his physical appearance

1:39:32or is there something else ? In part two

1:39:36of this case , I will recount all the

1:39:38dark spots and controversies

1:39:40surrounding this arrest , how that

1:39:42moment really unfolded , what evidence

1:39:44they claim to have discovered , and why

1:39:46some of those findings are causing such

1:39:48a significant amount of debate among

1:39:50the public . We will also discuss what

1:39:54occurred immediately afterward , the

1:39:56manner in which he was questioned , the

1:39:58procedural aspects that do not add up ,

1:40:00and how this entire story transformed ,

1:40:02in a very short time , into a massive

1:40:04political issue . Hey guys . And you're

1:40:20here for tomorrow . That's all for this

1:40:40first part , friends . Thanks for

1:40:42spending all this time with me . Leave

1:40:45me a comment , as always , but please do

1:40:47not forget to be kind to me and to all

1:40:49the others as well . Let me know if you

1:40:52like the new set . I hope so , I think

1:40:54it's amazing . And I'll see you guys in

1:40:57the next video . Bye , friends .

More from Elisa True Crime

Recently added transcripts

Browse the whole transcript library

This transcript was generated from the captions YouTube publishes for this video. Get the transcript of any YouTube video atfreeyoutubetranscribe.com, free, unlimited, no sign-up.