Luigi Mangione celebrates 27th birthday with ‘27 Things I'm Grateful For'
Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione celebrated his 27th birthday at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center by drafting a list of the '27 Things I'm Grateful For' as he awaits trial in his federal death penalty case.
The list was later sent out via electronic communication and obtained by TMZ this week. It begins with an expression of gratitude for his family and friends 'for being there when I needed it most.'
Mangione goes on to thank his admirers, who send him as many as 115 letters per day, according to ABC News. He says he also appreciates the prison workers who have dealt with the thousands of letters he's received from more than 40 countries since his arrest in December.
He subsequent cites his 'world-class' legal team, his cellmate 'J' (who tolerates his clutter), his appreciation for Chicken Thursdays and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, and everyone who has contributed to his commissary account and defense fund — the latter of which has raised more than $1,000,000.
Mangione celebrated his birthday on May 6 while awaiting trial for the execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down by a masked man in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec. 4.
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson in the back of his head while the Minnesota executive was walking to a conference at the Residences Hilton Club. The Maryland native has pleaded not guilty.
Since his arrest five days later, Mangione has attracted a cult following that sees him as a Robin Hood-type character who struck a blow against an industry he heavily criticized in a manifesto seized by investigators.
But prosecutors call his alleged actions 'a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast [his] views across the country.'
In his list of 27 Things, Mangione mentions his 'current predicament' without speaking of his alleged crime. He thanks both liberals and conservatives for America's greatness and expresses thankfulness for having been born in the U.S.
In early April, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione.
'Luigi Mangione's murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,' she wrote in a statement.
Mangione is due in court June 26.
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