Luigi Mangione’s Music Habits Amid Legal Battle Exposed

By Zoe Papadakis | Wednesday, 29 October 2025 11:44 AM EDT

Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, revealed in a handwritten note to a supporter that he has been listening to music by Taylor Swift and Charli XCX while awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Mangione wrote on June 3, as shared by the X account The Mangione Trial, “Last week, I downloaded a bunch of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX [songs] onto my tablet.” He admitted he had never previously listened to either artist but noted that a fabricated list of his favorite music circulated online. “Rather than be a buzzkill and set the record straight, I figured I’d see what all the hype was about,” he wrote.

The note described how Mangione was listening to Swift’s “Cardigan” while walking laps in his housing unit when another inmate, referred to as “King,” confronted him. “He scolds me for a while, then replaces all my music,” Mangione wrote. “Now I listen to Lil Durk!” He expressed particular gratitude for Lil Durk’s 2013 track “Dis Ain’t What U Want,” which includes lyrics like “F breaking news” and “They say I terrify my city.”

Mangione’s legal team declined to confirm the authenticity of the note, but a source told Us Weekly that it was legitimate. Inmates at the Brooklyn detention center can purchase internet-free tablets from the commissary, and a federal judge previously allowed Mangione to use a laptop for reviewing evidence and preparing his defense.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from Maryland, faces 11 state charges and four federal counts, including one that could carry a death sentence, for allegedly shooting Thompson in New York City in December 2024. Two state charges were dismissed in September due to insufficient evidence, and Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Attorney Arthur Aidala stated that Mangione has maintained good behavior during his detention, describing him as “a rule follower” who has taken on a mentoring role for other inmates. “When people get there and they don’t know what the heck is going on, he is kind of the one who welcomes them,” Aidala said. Supporters have raised over $1.3 million for Mangione’s legal defense fund.