CEO ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione’s courtroom sketch artist reveals surprising behavior in court as he turned to face public
ALLEGED CEO assassin Luigi Mangione turned and faced the public in a perplexing moment in court, according to the artist tasked with sketching him during the brief appearance.
Mangione, 26, kept to himself in a Pennsylvania courthouse on Thursday as he waived his extradition to New York, where he faces federal charges in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The court appearance brought a crowd of spectators to the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, as Mangione’s case has garnered national attention after Thompson was fatally shot in the middle of Manhattan on December 4.
Pittsburgh-based artist Emily Goff dropped everything, including holiday commissions of pet portraits and her day job at a grocery store, when she was approached to do a courtroom sketch of Mangione.
In an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun, Goff admitted she had concerns about tension in the courtroom ahead of Mangione’s appearance – but she knew she couldn’t say no to the opportunity.
“I was a little nervous about going actually just because of how electric and how high tension things are surrounding this whole situation,” Goff said.
“I was glad there was security and stuff there.”
Goff’s wariness stemmed in part from Mangione’s outburst on the way to his first hearing, where he shouted at reporters that the situation was “out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people” as he was dragged into court.
However, the artist said Mangione seemed to have calmed down since his outburst on December 10.
“It was a little bit more peaceful, he seemed a lot more relaxed than I expected him to be because of things I had seen, clips from last week,” Goff said, adding that she expected him to be “more angry” or “outspoken in the courtroom.”
“But he wasn’t, he was very calm. He seemed pretty relaxed. I wouldn’t say he seemed confident about it, but it seemed like he was just doing what he had to do.”
Mangione, donning a fresh shave and an orange jumpsuit, barely spoke during his court appearance except to say “yes” or “no” to the judge to show he understood his extradition rights.
Goff’s drawing of Mangione shows him sitting reserved and alone as his lawyers spoke to the judge.
As Goff sketched Mangione, she noticed he stayed still, occasionally conferring with his team or scribbling something down in the hour before he left the courtroom to be flown to New York.
The suspected assassin flashed a few smiles when speaking to his lawyers but mostly seemed reserved and deep in thought while he wrote something on yellow paper in front of him.
“He was definitely not cocky or anything like that. That’s not the [impression] I got from his facial expressions,” Goff said.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
LUIGI Mangione, 26, was regarded as a beloved, clever and wealthy man by his family, friends and all who knew him.
He was born and raised in Maryland and graduated as the valedictorian from the private all-boys Gilman School in Baltimore.
He had no prior criminal history and was said to have been a model student, soccer player, and all-around athlete at high school.
One former student from the Gilman School told The U.S. Sun that Mangione was “popular” and had a “big circle of friends.”
“We went to the same school but didn’t really have the same friends. I’m really shocked by this whole thing,” the former student, who asked not to be identified, said.
“I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure.”
Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied computer and information science, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also got his masters from the Ivy League school.
Mangione was reportedly a data engineer at a car company in California before moving to Hawaii.
His cousin is also Republican Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione.
“He just seemed like he was taking it in. It wasn’t like he was relaxed on the couch, but it looked like he knew what he wanted to portray.”
LOOKING AT THE CROWD
Goff said he continued to appear concentrated when he turned to look at the people sitting in the courthouse.
Members of the public were allowed to observe the hearing on Thursday – and Goff said the gallery remained professional and respectful, consisting of people ranging from protestors to psychology professors.
“He turned in his chair and was looking back at the courtroom, I guess to just take in who was in there,” Goff recalled.
“He had his eyebrows kind of quirked, and he was looking off to the side… it was like he was thinking.”
Goff said the sketch was more complicated than she expected because of the way Mangione moved his mouth.
The suspect often moved his tongue along his teeth while his lips remained closed, which Goff thinks might have been a sign he was working something out in his head, adding, “That’s what I do if I’m thinking about something.”
INSIDE THE ARTWORK
Goff decided to put together three sketches of Mangione for her piece in order to show the different ways he sat.
“I like that it’s the different positions of being at rest while we’re waiting in the courtroom because that is one of the things that you do a lot if there’s someone at the bench, approaching at a trial, or you’re waiting for something to happen,” she explained.
“There’s a lot of time you’re just sitting there, and you don’t get to play on your phone. There’s not much you can do in there anyways.”
Goff’s portrayal of Mangione’s subdued manner has sparked some backlash on social media as multiple TikTok users theorized that courtroom artists, including Goff, purposefully tried to make Mangione look less attractive to sway public opinion.
Despite the theories swirling on social media, Goff said she received no instruction to paint Mangione in a certain light.
“I did my best!” She laughed.
“It’s very fast. I do a lot of sketching, leaning to the side, trying to get a good view, holding my sketchbook in my lap, and going as fast as I can.”
As for the next steps in the case, Mangione faces four federal counts, including murder through the use of a firearm, stalking, and firearm offenses, along with 11 criminal counts.
He’s currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is housed.
Mangione’s next court appearance is set for January 18, 2025.
Timeline of Brian Thompson's murder
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing.
Here is everything we know about Thompson’s murder so far.
Monday, December 2 – Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am – Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin.
11:30 am – Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
12:00 pm – Thompson’s estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
2:45 pm – Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it’s unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, 6 am – Reports claim the words “deny,” “dispose,” and “defend” were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports.
8 am– Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It’s believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there.
11 am – A person of interest in Thompson’s murder is pictured. He’s wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation.
Afternoon – Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It’s also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting.
December 6, 3 pm – Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
December 9 – Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a “strong person of interest” at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson’s murder.