A Pennsylvania police officer provided detailed testimony in a Manhattan courtroom regarding the unexpected arrest of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Wilson. Officer Joseph Detwiler revealed that he and his supervisor initially exchanged joking text messages about the tip that ultimately led to Mangione’s capture at an Altoona McDonald’s location.
The December 2024 shooting of Wilson as he entered a Manhattan investors’ conference triggered an interstate manhunt and sparked national debate about the for-profit health insurance industry. Mangione, 27, now faces both state and federal murder charges while maintaining his not guilty plea.
During pretrial proceedings that could extend for several days, the courtroom heard how Detwiler responded to what seemed like an improbable tip from a McDonald’s restaurant manager whose customers believed they had spotted the suspected shooter. Despite approaching the situation with what he described as a “semi-sarcastic” attitude, Detwiler quickly realized the tip’s legitimacy when he encountered a man matching the description exactly—wearing a large coat, brown beanie, and medical mask.
Body camera footage presented in court showed the surreal scene of Mangione eating hash browns and a steak sandwich while Christmas music played in the background. Detwiler testified that he whistled along to the music in an effort to “keep things calm and normal” while secretly waiting for backup and fabricating a story about restaurant loitering policies.
The defense team, led by attorney Karen Agnifilo, is seeking to exclude key evidence including a 9mm gun and notebook allegedly containing motive details, arguing that Mangione wasn’t immediately informed of his rights. The defense also aims to prevent federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty, emphasizing the “low-priority” nature of the initial dispatch call that didn’t warrant lights or sirens during the officers’ approach.