Copyright Newsweek
The owner of an inn in Japan where Luigi Mangione stayed in 2024 said he left the room spotless and took out his own trash. “If asked who would be the most impressive and tidiest guest ever in my business record, I’ll answer it’s him,” Juntaro Mihara told The New York Times. Mangione stayed at the inn in Tenkawa for six days, the outlet reported. Mangione started backpacking in Asia in early 2024, according to the outlet. Newsweek reached out to Mangione’s legal team for comment. Why It Matters Mangione, 27, is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare (UHC), outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan in December 2024. Mangione is facing federal charges and state charges in New York and Pennsylvania. Mangione is eligible for the death penalty if convicted of a federal murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. What To Know Mangione checked into the small guesthouse in Tenkawa on May 6, 2024, his 26th birthday, The New York Times reported. The village is located at the entry point of Mount Omine. Mihara said when Mangione booked online, the only room available was one with a bunk bed, known as the Hunter room. Mihara said while some guests were on their phones or laptops, Mangione quietly sipped on a beer and wrote in his journal or read a book. “He didn’t use any digital devices," Mihara said. "He was quiet, and only had minimum necessary conversations with other guests or he maybe didn’t talk with anyone.” On a check-in card, Mangione listed an address in Honolulu and wrote that he was an engineer, The New York Times reported. In a voice memo to a friend, he described the area as “beautiful, man,” the outlet reported. “There’s like, these tiny, little villages here, just kind of, like, on the side of the cliffs; I’ll send a photo, super lush, like, there’s this beautiful river that cuts through the gorge,” Mangione said, according to the outlet. “I’m just going to Zen out and do some, do some Buddha.” Prior to checking in at the guesthouse, Mangione met a Japanese professional poker player at dinner in Tokyo in February and chatted with two American expatriates in Bangkok in March, The New York Times reported. Mangione told one of the Americans that he once was beaten up by seven “ladyboys,” a local term for transgender women that can be seen as derogatory, the outlet reported. After spending some time at Mount Omine, Mangione flew to Mumbai, according to The New York Times. He had returned to the U.S. by July and temporarily stayed in San Francisco, the outlet reported. Luigi Mangione: Case Update In Mangione’s federal case, his legal team filed a reply on October 17 alleging that statements made on social media by the Department of Justice violated local criminal rules and “were prejudicial to Mr. Mangione’s right to a fair trial.” Federal prosecutors argued that the statements were made by people “not associated with this matter.” What People Are Saying Defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo, Jacob Kaplan, Avi Moskowitz, Eylan Schulman and Christopher Neff, in a reply about statements made by the Department of Justice: “The significance of these prejudicial statements is that they have life or death consequences for Mr. Mangione. The statements have caused irreparable harm because the government’s sustained public commentary, designed to further a political agenda, will have a prejudicial impact on a future jury." U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, Jun Xiang, Alexandra Messiter and Thomas John Wright, in a letter: “While these regulations and policies of course do not create rights enforceable by criminal defendants or supply an independent basis for relief in a criminal case, we will continue to confer with personnel throughout the Department of Justice, including at the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and EOUSA, regarding the requirements governing public commentary about criminal cases, and how such communications should be handled based upon the circumstances of this case and the concerns expressed by the Court here.” What Happens Next Mangione’s next court appearance in his New York state case is scheduled for December 1. His next appearance in his federal case is scheduled for January 9.
