December 10th 2024.
Luigi Mangione was a typical young adult who enjoyed spending time on social media. He had a particular fondness for Goodreads, where he kept track of the various books he had read or planned to read. He even left a positive review for the Unabomber's manifesto, showcasing his broad range of interests. However, something changed over the summer and his usual online activity suddenly came to a halt.
Concerned friends and acquaintances began to reach out to him, wondering where he had gone. Some even tagged his account, asking if he was okay and mentioning that his family was looking for him. R.J. Martin, Mangione's former roommate, described him as a friendly and thoughtful person, and was worried about his sudden disappearance. He couldn't make sense of it and it was unimaginable to him.
Mangione had moved to Hawaii in 2022 and spent about six months living with Martin in a co-working space. During that time, he led a book club and enjoyed activities like yoga and hiking. While he occasionally discussed topics like capitalism and the healthcare system, he never mentioned anything about guns or violence. Martin had no idea that Mangione had any grievances or anger towards a particular issue.
However, after Mangione left Honolulu, they lost touch and only exchanged occasional texts. Their last communication was earlier this year when Mangione informed Martin about undergoing major back surgery and even sent him a photo of his spinal X-ray. It was a tough surgery and Martin could see how difficult it must have been for his friend.
Interestingly, Mangione's online presence had completely disappeared during the summer. His Reddit account, which is believed to be his, showed posts about living with chronic back pain and how it was aggravated after a surfing accident. He also mentioned having spondylolisthesis since childhood and was terrified of the implications. On X, formerly known as Twitter, he was a regular user who often shared his thoughts on science and technology. But all of that stopped in the middle of summer, as he seemed to have retreated from social media.
The sudden disappearance from social media was a mystery to those who knew Mangione. They couldn't understand why he had stopped posting and why he was so hard to reach. It was a stark contrast to the active and engaged person they knew. It was a shock to everyone when they found out that Mangione had been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. The news was devastating, and no one could have predicted such a tragic outcome for their friend.
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