When a Murder Investigation Borrowed My Identity
On December 4th, 2024, Luigi Mangione killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. I had been expecting that something consequential was coming — a global pressure build-up was obvious months before this. The shooting confirmed that we had crossed into a new phase.
When photos of the suspected killer began circulating across major media outlets, one detail stood out immediately: the images being used were not all of the same person. That alone should have triggered serious scrutiny.
What disturbed me far more: one of the images being widely circulated looked like me — from around the time I was living in Helsinki more than a decade ago. It wasn’t similar — it was the exact jacket, the exact Kashmir shawl I used to wear for warmth in winter. It wasn’t a social media photo. It appeared to be from a CCTV camera.
Before Mangione was even arrested, the photo clearly wasn’t him. Yet it reached law enforcement, tip lines, and international media. And then the photo was memory-holed. No follow-up. No explanation.
That alone demands investigation.
As more details emerged, everything in the case felt staged, symbolic, or coded. Mangione was allegedly still casually carrying incriminating evidence in his backpack when caught days later at a McDonalds. His first lawyer was from a firm with the name “Tom, Dick, and Law” — straight out of satire. And over time, as legal proceedings continued, he began appearing in clothing choices that matched extremely specific aesthetic decisions I have worn for years — such as the red sweater over a white shirt (an earlier version of this post incorrectly said green sweater, which he wore later). During his perp walk, he wore orange sneakers, an unusual fashion choice that I once made as a pre-teen, something members of my extended family often remembered and laughed about even when I reached adulthood.
There is no plausible organic reason for this convergence.
So the natural question arises: what does a Pakistani man have to do with an Italian-American from Hawaii killing the CEO of America’s largest private health insurer?
Was this connected to the fact that in October 2024, jailed Pakistani politician Imran Khan called for a “global jihad”? Was this symbolic targeting? Proxy signaling? Hidden faction warfare? Psychological pressure operation?
I don’t pretend to know the answer yet.
But this part is certain: a CCTV image from over 15 years ago — of me — somehow entered the international media circulation as representing the suspect who killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
And then the system acted like it never happened.
That is the part I cannot ignore.
<< to be continued >>