Former friends who spoke to the BBC said Mr Mangione had suffered from a back injury. They said he had left a surfing community in Hawaii over the summer of 2023 to undergo spinal surgery.
RJ Martin, a former roommate of the suspect who knew him in Hawaii, said the injury “prohibited him, at times, from just doing many normal things”.
Various details of Mr Mangione’s background have surfaced since his arrest. He was born in Maryland to a wealthy, well-known family, and police say he has ties to San Francisco, California. His last-known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League college, where he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in software engineering.
Local media reported that Mr Mangione’s mother had reported him missing last month, telling authorities in San Francisco that she had not heard from her son since July.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mr Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media by his cousin. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”