Luigi Mangione listened to Charli XCX and Taylor Swift in prison before being confronted by an inmate

NME ^ | 30th October 2025 | Surej Singh

[nickcarraway]

"I figured I’d see what all the hype was about"

Mangione, who was arrested in December for allegedly shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a Manhattan hotel, has turned into somewhat of a cultural phenomenon over the last year, earning himself a large base of fans, some campaigning for his freedom, while others praise his looks.

The suspect has spent the last 10 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he awaits charges for second-degree murder. He turned 27 in May, and now, a letter that he wrote to an undisclosed recipient reflecting on his birthday has been leaked online.

In the letter, Mangione reflects on the 27 things he’s grateful for – one of them being Taylor Swift’s ‘Cardigan’ that was later stuck out and replaced with Lil Durk‘s ‘Dis Ain’t What U Want’. Mangione wrote: “Last week, I downloaded a bunch of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX onto my tablet.”

He went on to explain: “I’ve never really listened to either of them, but some phony list of my favorite music circulated on social media… Rather than be a buzzkill and set the record straight, I figured I’d see what all the hype was about. So I’m walking laps on the top tier of my unit listening to ‘cardigan’ by TSwift, when one of the other inmates, ‘King,’ calls me over to see what I’m listening to. He scolds me for awhile, then replaces all my music. Now I listen to Lil Durk.”

You can read Luigi Mangione’s full letter below.

As a result of Mangione’s rise to infamy, the internet has begun fan-casting actors to portray the suspect in a hypothetical film. One name that is often brought up to play Mangione is Dave Franco, who earlier this year confirmed that he’s received countless pitches for a film.

When asked if by The Hollywood Reporter if anyone has compared Mangione to the actor, Franco’s wife Alison Brie quipped: “Anyone? Do you mean everyone?” Franco added: “I have never received more texts in my life about anything. Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.”

However, Brie and Franco were quick to clarify that “no official offers” have been made.

Talk of Franco’s potential casting as Luigi Mangione comes after two documentaries based on the murder suspect were announced in December. Stephen Robert Morse, known for his work on Netflix’s documentary Amanda Knox, is working on one that will focus on those directly involved in the murder, including Thompson’s family and Mangione himself. That production will also explore the controversial nature of private healthcare.

The other will come from the production companies Anonymous Content and Jigsaw Prods and the acclaimed director Alex Gibney, who has made documentaries about Scientology, WikiLeaks and Enron. That project will examine the wider context of the killing and how culture reacted to the events surrounding it.

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TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: crime; music; prison; taylorswift

[1Old Pro]

In 1994 NYers were angry about crime, then crime went down.

Thanks to Rudy.

[nickcarraway]

Well, in part because of Rudy. Macro issues caused the decline too. It went down all over thew U.S.

[markman46]

OMG that whole article has so much BS to unpack.. the guy is a loon, who would leak a letter of his anyway..

[Albion Wilde]

Dave Franco is a lot better looking.