Gurwinder Bhogal, a British freelance writer who publishes a Substack newsletter called The Prism, said he corresponded with Mangione from April to June. The two men talked about politics, philosophy and the cost of health care in the United States, Bhogal said.
Bhogal said Mangione, a “founding member” of his subscription-based newsletter, appeared to hold a mix of left-wing and right-wing political views. The two men discussed the “gamification of society,” and Mangione expressed interest in the “ideology” of Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist known as the “Unabomber.”
Mangione “disapproved” of Kaczynski’s deadly actions, Bhogal said, but “he shared his concerns about rampant consumerism gradually eroding our agency and alienating us from ourselves.”
“He expressed fears over smartphone addiction. Luigi asked me how to maximize agency in a world constantly trying to deprive us of it, so we also discussed that,” Bhogal said in an email to NBC News. “Overall, the impression I got of him, besides his curiosity and kindness, was a deep concern for the future of humanity, and a determination to improve himself and the world.”
In one exchange, Bhogal and Mangione “briefly touched on the differences between the UK and US healthcare systems.” Bhogal said. “Luigi complained about how expensive healthcare in the US was, and expressed envy at the UK’s nationalized health system.”
Mangione also expressed concern about the sociocultural status quo in Japan, telling the Substack author that he was worried about the country’s declining birthrates and the number of young men “addicted to video games, pornography, and other shallow entertainments.”
Bhogal said he exchanged almost 20 emails with Mangione from April 6 to June 10. They also spoke via video chat for a total of two hours and traded direct messages on X and Substack.
When news broke that Mangione was a person of interest in Thompson’s killing, Bhogal felt “bewilderment.”
“He was so thoughtful and polite that he seemed like the last person I’d suspect of murdering someone,” Bhogal said.
