Thread by @Unpop_Science

I, for one, remain unconvinced that Luigi Mangione is guilty of shooting Brian Thompson.

We’ve all seen the eyebrows and jacket, but there’s a lot more to this case. This is not a conspiracy theory.

Let’s walk through the manifesto and the inconsistencies in the evidence.🧵

https://twitter.com/ap/status/1869119536647077909

To begin, Mangione is alleged by police to have been carrying a manifesto confessing to the crime.

Yet his lawyer tells press he will plead not guilty.

This is the core question of the case:

Did Mangione actually write this?

https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1866585808431665171

Mangione described evidence being planted on him in court, specifically the $10K in multiple currencies.

He didn’t mention the manifesto or gun, perhaps under advice from his lawyer, but has maintained he is innocent.

The only thing he has been able to state publicly was this:

https://twitter.com/znnybth/status/1866573415743619324

The manifesto describes the use of CAD, a drafting software.

Presumably, this would have been used to design the 3D-printed gun, but the model provided by police is a widely available template.

Mangione didn’t design this gun. So what was he drafting?

wired.com/story/luigi-ma…

The manifesto also says “my tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there”, suggesting his employer restricts/monitors his laptop.

This indicates he would have used CAD on another computer.

Have police recovered it?
What did he draft?

The manifesto then mentions a spiral notebook, which was provided to media outlets by police sources.

However, the full contents of this have still not been published.

Nor have photos of any of these documents, which were allegedly handwritten.

crimeonline.com/2024/12/10/ceo…

Police also say they have matched fingerprints discovered near the scene.

Most sources only mention prints on a water bottle and energy bar wrapper — but others mention them on a burner phone.

transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnc/date/…

The burner phone is inconsistent with the first statement of the alleged manifesto: “I wasn’t working with anyone.”

Of course he could be covering for co-conspirators, but the questions stand:

What’s on the burner phone?
Why aren’t police following this lead for accomplices?

Allegations that the suspect was carrying the gun and manifesto are also inconsistent with police reports that the suspect dropped a decoy backpack full of fake money near the scene.

Why drop a decoy within minutes, but carry the murder weapon on his person for five days?

The decoy backpack also allegedly contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket. Police are in possession.

Does it match the coat from CCTV images on the night of the shooting — or the different coat in the ones from the day before?

Does it match any of these coats? Why not release photos?

https://twitter.com/dieworkwear/status/1866225424642306052

Of course, many have also pointed to the eyebrows. It’s very hard to tell from these photos, but it’s a valid question as to whether these two sets show the same person.

The backpacks are certainly not the same.

Now a lot of the evidence against Mangione concerns motive: his spinal injury, his book reviews.

These pieces of evidence do not connect him to the shooting, but let’s take a look at them regardless…

Mangione’s spinal injury provides a strong potential motive, yet this is not referenced in the manifesto.

Only broad statistics are offered as motivation in the document:

If Mangione had been motivated by his own suffering at the hands of a health insurance corporation, one might expect him to target the executives responsible for his coverage.

Yet United Health says Mangione was never insured by the corporation.

forbes.com/sites/tylerrou…

The manifesto’s broad stance against the corrupt US health system is also interesting considering the many citations and fines associated with the Mangione family’s private health care corporation.

msn.com/en-us/health/o…

Finally, Mangione’s now infamous review of Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto suggests an affinity for radical vigilantism.

But his roommate is on record as having recommended he read it. The rest of his reading history is decidedly less radical.

thedailybeast.com/roommate-spill…

Again, while some may infer the possibility of a conspiracy from these evidentiary inconsistencies, nothing compiled here attempts to describe a conspiracy.

These are basic questions about the evidence against Mangione presented to the public — questions media should be asking.

Yet there seems to be a double standard in media surrounding the presumption of innocence.

To this day, headlines refer to victims of convicted rapist Jeffrey Epstein as “accusers”, yet Mangione has often not been granted the same presumption of innocence.

As the case goes to trial, journalistic outlets have a responsibility to raise more critical questions about whether Mangione pulled the trigger — regardless of what it implies if guilt can’t be proven.

Am I convinced of a frame-up? No. More evidence could come out.

But I’m also not convinced Mangione is the shooter at this point and believe more should question this conclusion.

You don’t have to treat the case as if on the jury — which needs absolute proof — but be skeptical.

Finally, I said I wouldn’t get into this, but I think it’s important to provide some context:

False convictions are not unusual. NY DAs, for instance, routinely release hundreds of inmates whose cases were constructed by criminal NYPD officers.

manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-move…

Here’s one last detail that I’ll leave you with, which I believe has been underplayed:

Police released the alleged manifesto to media outlets on the condition that it would not be published in full.

Were they concerned about copycats or the public taking a close read?

https://twitter.com/democracynow/status/1868659510623064064

Thanks for the enthusiastic response. Not a lot of good rebuttals, but here’s a fair point.

Let’s ignore what seems to be footage of the shooter on the phone and say he didn’t contact anyone.

The burner phone was left intact, near the scene? NYPD can’t decrypt it?

https://twitter.com/luxeprogressive/status/1869484779802104245