One member of the group informed NBC News that Luigi Mangione, who was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was formerly a member of an Ivy League gaming group that played assassins.
In the game “Among Us,” some players are covertly designated to be space killers who carry out various chores in an effort to allay other players’ suspicions.
Alejandro Romero, who was a member of the same Discord group and went to the University of Pennsylvania with Mangione, expressed his surprise on social media when word leaked out that Mangione had been arrested by the police.
“I just found it extremely ironic that, you know, we were in this game and there could actually be a true killer among us,” he stated.
“As soon as his photo and name popped up on X, my friend texted me asking if I knew him, and then either I was calling some 10 friends or they were calling me,” Romero continued. “I didn’t speak to anybody today who wasn’t already aware of what had happened.”
The kid-friendly whodunit game “Among Us” has a bunch of buddies running around a number of maps that resemble space stations. The crew members, who are only cartoonish-looking astronauts with simple drawings, go around the spacecraft and perform jobs.
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The game’s purpose? A murderous member tries to murder the other crew members. The death animations, which depict a person being stabbed in the back or having their neck snapped, are ridiculous. After a crewmate reports a body, the players have a discussion to figure out who they believe committed the crime. A funny animation of an innocent player floating off into space will be shown if they are incorrect. The crewmates win if they are correct. The murderer wins if all of the crew members are killed or if all of the innocent people are expelled.
The game’s straightforward fundamentals, vibrant cartoonish style, and unpredictable nature have made it extremely popular, especially among small children during the pandemic. Younger players adore the game so much that dressing up as a crewmate is a common Halloween costume for kids.
An employee at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized 26-year-old Mangione and took him into custody Monday morning.
During a press conference, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that police had discovered a handwritten letter on Mangione “that speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” as well as a pistol that was reportedly 3D printed.
According to officials, he was also in possession of a passport and counterfeit identification.
According to court filings, Mangione was charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a loaded firearm, and possession of a forged instrument in New York.
Mangione was accused by Pennsylvania authorities of carrying weapons without a license, forging, altering documents or identification, having criminal tools, and giving police a false identity.
One of the Mangione family members claimed on Xon Monday night that they are “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.”
Nino Mangione, a Republican in the Maryland House of Delegates, wrote, “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
Romero claimed he hasn’t seen or spoken to Mangione since 2020 and characterized him as an ordinary college student who didn’t catch his attention.
Romero remarked, “He just fit a mold,” “He just seemed like any other normal frat dude that you could see at a frat party.”
His final year in college was cut short when the pandemic hit. Students were forced off campus in their last semester and did not return for commencement.
The Discord group was one way to stay connected, Romero said, but members began to go their separate ways as they got full-time jobs or embarked on long trips.
During some of those years, Mangione left behind a digital footprint that included reviewing Industrial Society and Its Future, also known as the Unabomber Manifesto by Ted Kaczynski, on Goodreads, a platform for book reviews and recommendations. It served as the ideological reasoning for Kaczynski s yearslong mail bomb campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others.
Mangione became significantly more active on X in 2021 after five years not posting or reposting content, according to a review of his account.
Asked about the change in Mangione’s online persona, Romero said that question is circulating among his friend group.
“I feel like people are unsure how to label him,” he said. “I’m personally struggling to understand how this all fits.”
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