FOLLOW THE MONEY!
When Officer Joseph Detwiler told the Manhattan court how the suspect had “a lot of money, as well as some foreign currency” on him when he was stopped, Luigi Mangione’s fingers seemed to be biting his nails. The same officer was one of the two police who first found the accused in an Altoona, Pa., McDonald’s on December 28, 2024 – just five days after the alleged shoot‑down of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. After pulling Mangione into a booth, the officers rummaged through his jacket and unearthed a wallet‑shaped holder filled with cash. “I opened it up and took a brief look inside … [it] appeared to be a lot of money as well as some foreign currency,” Detwiler recounted in Supreme Court, as the case lingered over whether the contents of Mangione’s backpack can be used as evidence.
A polished Ivy‑League graduate and scion of a wealthy Maryland family, Mangione was carrying more than $7,000 in $100 bills slipped inside a large, blue‑and‑white wallet with a tropical sea‑turtle design. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he hunched over at the defense table, biting at his thumbnail with clear agitation.
For the first time, the public could see body‑cam footage of the officers approaching Mangione inside the fast‑food spot and cuffing him – a moment that moved one of the courtroom’s supporters to tears. When Detwiler and the other cop first approached, the suspect denied his identity, saying his name was “Mark Rosario” and produced a fake New Jersey ID. He answered a question about recent travels to New York with a hesitant “Um, yes, sir.”
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting the health‑care executive on a Manhattan street on Dec. 4, 2024, then fleeing. The death sparked a nationwide hunt.
During the exchange, a video clip shows Detwiler telling Mangione, “Do me a favor, just stand up for me, just put your hands on top of your head for me?” He followed up, “You seem a little bit nervous? Why are you nervous?” When questioned on the stand, the officer noted, “I saw his fingers shaking a little bit.”
While waiting for backup, Mangione tried to appear composed, continuing to munch on salad and an Egg McMuffin. Detwiler, known for watching Fox News, claimed he had seen photos of the suspect and was able to spot him instantly because Mangione stood out in his mask and unfamiliar demeanor. He quipped, “Yeah, we don’t wear masks. We have antibodies,” to a laugh in the gallery.
After the officers checked his fake ID, they returned and confronted him. “You’re under official police investigation,” a cop said as Mangione sat in a chair, eyes fixed on the floor. “If you give us false name again, you will be arrested for false identification.” “What’s your real name?” the officer asked. “Luigi … Mangione.” “Why’d you lie about your name?” the cop pressed. Mangione offered a vague excuse that he merely repeated the name on the ID card he had.
On Monday, hundreds of Mangione supporters arrived early at the lower Manhattan courthouse in hopes of a seat. John McIntosh, who had managed a line for two supporters earning $450 each, told the Post that business was down that Tuesday. A total of 24 admirers, including four men, occupied the last three rows of the gallery on Tuesday. One woman, crying as the footage showed Mangione’s arrest, wrote to the Post, “It’s sad watching the video, seeing how they are treating him.”
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