"CEO Murder Suspect's Former Roommate Shocked: 'It's Like Two Different People'" .

 The arrest of Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has left those who knew him in shock, with many struggling to reconcile their experiences of him with the crime he is accused of committing. Among them is R.J. Martin, Mangione’s former roommate, who described his disbelief at the charges, saying it felt as though the man he knew and the accused killer were "two completely different human beings."

Martin, appearing on Jesse Watters Primetime, shared that he had lived with Mangione for six months at Surfbreak Coliving in Honolulu, Hawaii. Surfbreak, a community-oriented living space for remote workers and digital nomads, fostered close connections among its residents, and Mangione was no exception. According to Martin, Mangione was an active and positive member of the community, embodying its values of contribution and care for others.

“The entire time that he lived at Surfbreak, he was a great community member,” Martin said. “He followed our values and ethics, which were to leave things better than you found them. He was always contributing, taking care of other people.”

Even after moving out of Surfbreak, Mangione maintained ties with the community. He frequently returned to participate in group activities and even led a book club, cementing his reputation as a thoughtful and involved individual. “He was always engaged and spearheaded activities like our book club,” Martin recalled.

Mangione’s arrest came as a shock to Martin, who described their time together fondly. The two had grown close, bonding over workouts, volleyball games, and shared meals. Martin remembered Mangione as someone who, despite suffering from severe back pain, made efforts to take care of himself and stay active. “He was the kind of guy who was doing his best to take care of himself despite having some severe back pain and other health issues,” he explained.

The allegations against Mangione, however, paint a vastly different picture. Authorities arrested him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania after identifying him as a suspect in the shooting death of Brian Thompson. Prosecutors in New York later filed a second-degree murder charge against Mangione, linking him to the crime that took place in midtown Manhattan. Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in broad daylight, sending shockwaves through the business world and beyond.

Martin’s astonishment is echoed by others who knew Mangione, with his family also expressing their disbelief at the charges. Speaking to the media, they described themselves as "shocked" by the accusations and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

Reflecting on their time together, Martin shared an anecdote about their book club that has since taken on a more ominous tone. He said he once jokingly suggested that the group read the manifesto of Ted Kaczynski, the infamous “Unabomber,” who conducted a nationwide bombing campaign against individuals he believed were advancing modern technology in harmful ways. Mangione reportedly found the manifesto "interesting," though Martin was quick to emphasize that he did not believe the reading influenced Mangione’s behavior.

“At the time, it was sort of a half-joke to bring up the Unabomber’s manifesto,” Martin explained. “I don’t think it had any significant impact on Luigi or turned him toward anything sinister. He was just curious and analytical about the text.”

Still, Martin acknowledged the profound disconnect between the Luigi Mangione he knew and the man now accused of a heinous crime. “I feel strange because he was a great friend. I consider him a close friend,” Martin said. “Somebody who would assassinate someone is completely incompatible with the person that I lived with—the person that I cooked meals with, the person that participated in book club and other activities.”

The case continues to raise questions about Mangione’s motives and mental state. While details of his relationship with Thompson and the circumstances leading to the shooting remain unclear, Mangione’s former roommate and others close to him are left grappling with the stark contrast between their personal experiences of him and the grave allegations he faces.

Mangione’s arrest has also brought renewed attention to the challenges of fully understanding individuals’ complexities. For Martin, the situation underscores how even those who appear kind, community-minded, and well-intentioned can harbor darker aspects of themselves that are hidden from view. “It’s like two completely different human beings,” he concluded, struggling to process the gulf between the man he once considered a close friend and the accused killer now at the center of a high-profile murder investigation.

As the legal process unfolds, the case has drawn widespread attention not only for its high-profile victim but also for the baffling nature of the alleged perpetrator’s double life. Whether Mangione’s former friends and family will ever fully understand the forces that may have driven him to this point remains to be seen.