Inside Luigi Mangione's Elaborate Escape Plan: How the UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Suspect Tried to Evade Capture

Luigi Mangione was arrested in December 2024 at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania

Pluck eyebrows. Buy less conspicuous shoes. Take a bus or a train west toward Cincinnati and St. Louis. Move around late at night. Stay away from surveillance cameras.

A to-do list and travel plans discovered during Luigi Mangione's arrest and presented in court this week provide new insights into the measures he potentially took - or intended to take - to evade capture following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder last year.

"Keep momentum, FBI slower overnight," stated one note. "Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows," read another.

The notes, including a hand-drawn map and strategies for avoiding detection, were exhibited on Monday at a pretrial hearing as part of Mangione's attempt to prevent prosecutors from utilizing evidence confiscated during his December 9, 2024, arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Segments of body-worn camera footage documenting the arrest, previously unseen by media or the public, were released on Tuesday.

Police reported finding the notes in Mangione's backpack, along with a 9 mm handgun that prosecutors claim matches the weapon used to kill Thompson five days earlier; a loaded gun magazine and silencer; and a notebook in similar handwriting allegedly describing his intention to "wack" a health insurance executive.

Mangione's attorneys haven't challenged the authenticity of the notes or the origin of the gun, pocket knife, fake ID, driver's license, passport, credit cards, AirPods, protein bar, travel toothpaste, flash drives and other items seized from him and his backpack.

However, they argue that anything found in the bag should be excluded because police lacked a search warrant and proper grounds for a warrantless search. Prosecutors maintain the search was lawful - officers stated they were checking for a bomb - and that police eventually secured a warrant.

The notes, along with additional evidence highlighted at the pretrial hearing, emphasize that Mangione's stop in Altoona, a city of approximately 44,000 residents about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan, was intended to be temporary.

One note mentioned checking for "red eyes" from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio or partway to Cincinnati ("get off early," it stated). The map drawn below shows routes connecting these cities, as well as other potential destinations, including Detroit, Indianapolis and St. Louis.

Thompson, 50, was killed while walking to a Manhattan hotel for his company's investor conference on December 4, 2024. Surveillance video captured a masked gunman shooting him from behind before fleeing the area. In the following hours and days, police distributed photos of a suspect - initially showing him in a mask and hooded coat and later revealing his face and distinctive thick eyebrows.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. The pretrial hearing, which continues for a sixth day on Thursday, applies only to the state case. His lawyers are making a similar effort to exclude the evidence from his federal case, where prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty.

Among the notes revealed this week was one dated "12/5" with a starred entry stating: "buy black shoes (white stripes too distinctive)."

Another, also written in to-do list format, suggested spending more than three hours away from surveillance cameras and utilizing different transportation methods to "Break CAM continuity" and avoid tracking. Below this, it stated: "check reports for current situation," possibly referring to news reports about the search for Thompson's killer.

According to prosecutors, Mangione escaped to Newark, New Jersey, immediately after the shooting and took a train to Philadelphia. Evidence presented at the pretrial hearing included a Philadelphia transit pass purchased at 1:06 p.m. - approximately six hours after the shooting - and a ticket for a Greyhound bus, reserved under the name Sam Dawson, departing Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. and arriving in Pittsburgh at 11:55 pm.

A note headed "12/8" enumerated several tasks, including an apparent trip to Best Buy to purchase a digital camera and accessories, "hot meal + water bottles," and "trash bag(s)." Under "12/9," the day of Mangione's arrest, the note listed items including "Sheetz," an Altoona-based convenience store chain, "masks" and "AAA bats." Under "Future TO DO," it mentioned "intel checkin" and "survival kit."

Mangione had a Sheetz hoagie in his backpack when arrested, along with Italian bread from a local deli, according to police officers testifying Monday and Tuesday. It had been raining, and both the bag and its contents were wet, the officers reported. They were heard on body-worn camera footage played in court theorizing that Mangione had gotten drenched walking from the city's bus station.

Police responded to the McDonald's after a manager called 911 to report concerns from customers who thought Mangione, eating breakfast in a back corner, resembled the man wanted for killing Thompson. During the call, played in court, the manager mentioned that because Mangione was wearing a medical mask, she could only see his eyebrows and had searched online for a photo of the suspect for comparison.

Altoona Police Officer Stephen Fox testified on Tuesday that Mangione, the Ivy League-educated heir of a wealthy Maryland family, expressed concern for the 911 caller's safety. Fox stated that Mangione asked if police planned to release her name, which they didn't. The officer recalled him saying: "It would be bad for her" and "there would be a lot of people that would be upset."

At another point, Fox testified, a shackled Mangione stumbled while trying to keep pace with the fast-moving officer. Fox said he apologized and stated, "I forgot you were shackled."

He said Mangione responded: "It's OK, I'm going to have to get used to it."