Ivy League professor's shocking new theory on why 'CEO shooter' Luigi Mangione went off the rails

An Ivy League professor has revealed what he believes could have led Luigi Mangione to allegedly kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Mangione, 26, grew up in a prominent, well-off Maryland family and spent his life attending prestigious private schools, earning his college degree from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson told Fox News that Mangione's educational background may have radicalized him - potentially inspiring him to assassinate Thompson.

'It is fairly uniform in the Ivy League and other so-called elite educational institutions that they skew extremely heavily to the left among the faculty,' Jacobson explained.

'The modern Democratic Party...leans very heavily to the left, has a very strong anti-American, anti-capitalist wing to it...so it would not surprise me if somebody growing up and getting educated in that atmosphere becomes radicalized.'

The law professor claimed that Ivy League educators have been promoting their personal value and trying to instill them in students over the last two or three decades.

'They do not distinguish between their teaching and their activism,' he told Fox News. 

'That most clearly manifests itself. But it's elsewhere, too, on the anti-capitalist front...if you're educating yourself in that atmosphere, I certainly could understand why someone would have hostile views towards a health insurance company.'

Jacobson shared his theory after posts made by a UPenn educator celebrating Thompson's slaying sparked outrage. 

Assistant English Professor Julia Alekseyeva shared a TikTok video praising the suspect and the fact that Mangione is an alumni of her university.

In response to by Alekseyeva's post, UPenn School of Arts and Sciences Deputy Dean Jeffrey Kallberg told Fox News that 'much concern was raised.'

'Her comments regarding the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City were antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania,' Kallberg said in a statement.

'They were not condoned by the School or the University. Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them.'

Mangione reportedly aligned with anti-capitalist ideologies. He was also found with a handwritten manifesto when he was arrested at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 

The manifesto reportedly read: 'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.

'These parasites had it coming. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.' 

One of the alleged shooter's friends told DailyMail.com that Mangione was actually 'anti-woke,' and was left-leaning in some ways and right-leaning in others. 

'For instance, he was pro-equality of opportunity, but anti-woke: for example anti-DEI (and) anti-identity politics,' Gurwinder Bhogal, a UK-based writer who met Mangione online, explained.

'He opposed woke-ism because he didn't believe it was an effective way to help minorities.

'He expressed interest in more rational, evidence-based forms of compassion, like effective altruism.'

Bhogal said he and Mangione discussed the differences between the UK and US healthcare systems.

'Luigi complained about how expensive healthcare in the US was, and expressed envy at the UK's nationalized health system,' he revealed. 

Bhogal, who runs a political blog called The Prism, said they discussed the actions of 'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski, who used terrorism to campaign against modern technology. 

Mangione previously appeared to praise Kaczynski in a Goodreads review.

'Luigi disapproved of the Unabomber’s actions, but was fascinated by his ideology, and shared his concerns about rampant consumerism gradually eroding our agency and alienating us from ourselves,' Bhogal said. 

The blogger speculated that material Mangione read on social media may be what sparked his alleged crime. 

Another theory surrounding Mangione's alleged actions is that he suffered from chronic and severe back pain, which spiraled into an obsession with the healthcare industry.

Mangione's college roommate, RJ Martin, said the suspect was in so much pain that he could not be physically intimate with anyone.

Martin also recalled how he, Mangione and other students would discuss healthcare and capitalism.

But he insisted the suspected murderer never gave off the impression of being angry or radicalized.

He added that Mangione did not complain about his back pain and did not appear to be taking any kind of painkillers.

Mangione was arrested on December 9 after a five-day manhunt. He has been charged with second-degree murder.

He also faces charges of second- and third-degree possession of a weapon, and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument in the killing of Thompson. 

On his way inside a Pennsylvania courthouse on December 10 to fight extradition to New York, an agitated Mangione shouted: 'This is completely unjust and an insult to the American people.'

He also yelled at reporters for being 'completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!'

Jacobson reiterated his belief that Thompson's death was not a random act and that Mangione's life experiences could have led him to allegedly shoot and kill the CEO.

'I think people need to focus on what the evidence is, what in his background might have radicalized him...what in his background would have led him to engage in such an elaborate plot,' he told Fox News.

'This is not a spontaneous act of violence. This was obviously clearly planned.'