Luigi Mangione: Former classmate lives in Arizona and says he's 'shocked'
We're hearing from a former classmate of Luigi Mangione who lives in Scottsdale.
Mangione was named as a suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 in New York City.
Although Mangione has no immediate ties to Arizona, his former classmate lives in Scottsdale and says he's shocked at the news.
"I would say I spoke to him pretty frequently," said Corey Wey.
"He was a leader in our class, so I'm not quite sure the clubs, because it was a while back, but he was a leader of clubs. He was in many clubs. He was a soccer player as well," Wey said.
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He says they graduated from Gilman School in 2016. It's a private all-boys school in Baltimore, Maryland.
He describes it as a small high school with about 85 to 100 students in each grade.
"He spoke at our graduation. Every year, they have somebody who exceeds academically, in and out of the classroom, and have them speak in front of our high school," he said. "It's weird saying it, but yes, he was that person that was chosen to speak."
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Nothing unusual stood out to Wey years ago.
"Everyone just knew him as a quiet, reserved, nice kid, and he was obviously really intelligent and everyone can tell that by his resume, of course," the former classmate said.
As the manhunt began for the killer seen on surveillance video shooting Thompson then fleeing, Wey became interested in the high-profile case, but didn't make the connection.
Luigi Mangione. Courtesy of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
"I had no hindrance that it was him. I mean, in the back of my mind, I was like, I feel like that face is familiar, but it was subconsciously, not really on the forefront," Wey said.
It wasn't until he saw the mug shot and video of Mangione being taken into custody that he knew it was – someone he'd lost touch with over the years.
"My initial reactions were just shocked, surprised, and I would just never suspect someone who went to our school to be involved in this," Wey said. "So, it was just shock, really. I'm really shocked."