Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly turned to the internet forum Reddit to discuss his own health problems.
Posts from his now-deleted Reddit account reviewed by PEOPLE show Mangione allegedly discussing a myriad of health issues, ranging from back pain to sleep issues, beginning in the fall of 2018.
Under the user name Mister_Cactus, Mangione posted about having restless sleep as a 20-year-old.
In one lengthy entry, Mangione described how he’d wake up 10 times in a typical eight-hour night’s sleep.
“Usually, I’ll wake up after 4 hours, then after another 1.5 hours, then I wake up another 9 or so more times during the last 2.5 hours,” he wrote.
“In the last year, these problems have started to get significantly worse, and I wake up feeling unrefreshed no matter how much sleep I get,” he continued, adding, “Getting any less than 8 hours causes extreme exhaustion during the day.”
PA Department of Corrections
The restless sleep seemed to be a major concern for Mangione, who was tested for sleep apnea and otherwise described himself as a “healthy 20 male” with “zero caffeine,” “zero alchohol/nicotine,” “exercise regularly” and “zero stress.”
A month later, Mangione posted to Reddit again, this time about a completely different issue.
“I have IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] but tested for SIBO [Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth],” he wrote in an entry dated Aug. 31, 2018. “Would it still be worthwhile to pursue a low FODMAP [Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols] diet?”
In 2023, Magione talked openly about his back issues, which former neighbors who lived with him in Hawaii the year prior said he had from an apparent pinched nerve.
“It can be easy to get caught up in the plethora of horror stories on the internet. When my spondy went bad on me last year (23M) it was completely devastating as a young athletic person,” Mangione allegedly wrote in a post dated Aug. 3, 2023. “Spondy” is shorthand for spondylolisthesis, a rare back condition where the vertebrae in the spine slip out of place.
However, he appeared to have undergone a successful surgery and recovery, even sharing his experience on an “Athletic Success Stories” thread.
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“Seemingly all I could read on the internet was that I was destined to chronic pain and a desk job for the rest of my life. That representation was terrifying, inaccurate and completely destroyed me until I realized the silent majority of fusions are highly successful. Hoping this can help others who find themselves in the same place! This is not to encourage surgery per se, but just to provide reassurance that athletic life is totally normal after fusion if/when the surgery is necessary,” he assured others facing back issues.
A post from February 2024 seemed to confirm that he had surgery six months prior, or around late July or early August 2023.
“Yea I had L5/S1 spinal fusion 6 months ago after 1.5 years of failed conservative treatment. Within 7 days of the fusion I was on zero pain meds. (That’s probably faster than most folks, but my point is just that your body isn’t supposed to be in pain and need meds. Even after getting my back sliced open and my spine drilled into, I wasn’t in much pain),” the post read.
Mangione’s posts reviewed by PEOPLE did not name any hospitals or medical providers.
A Reddit spokesperson told The New York Times and ABC News that its policy is to suspend accounts “that may potentially be related to suspects in high-profile criminal investigations.”
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Mangione allegedly fatally shot Thompson, 50, in front of a New York City hotel on Dec. 4. Thompson was in town attending a shareholder conference.
Bullet casings found at the murder scene had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” engraved on them. The words similar to a phrase about the insurance industry to describe a strategy of rejecting claims — “delay, deny, defend” — which was used as the title of a 2010 book by Rutgers University professor Jay Feinman.
A manifesto railing against healthcare companies was also found on Mangione when he was detained, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Mangione appeared in court on Tuesday, Dec. 10 following his arrest the night prior. He has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm. He has yet to enter a plea.
Thompson was reportedly laid to rest in a private funeral on Monday. He is survived by his wife and two sons.