Inmate Speaks Out About Prison ‘Brother’ Luigi Mangione’s Stay in Pennsylvania Lockup

A Pennsylvania inmate inside the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon is opening up about Luigi Mangione’s brief stay at the prison.

In a first-person article published by the Prison Journalism Project on Jan. 23, Vaughn Wright shared moments from the roughly 10-day span in which Mangione was being held at SCI Huntingdon.

Mangione, 26, was charged with the Dec. 4 murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was first arrested in Altoona, Penn., on gun possession and false identification charges. He fought extradition back to New York City — where Thompson’s murder was committed — until Dec. 19, when he left the Huntingdon prison.

Wright wrote that Mangione was being held in the rear of the D Block, where death row inmates were previously held.

“Every time he was escorted from his cell, D Block got locked down,” Wright revealed. “During lockdowns, all prisoner movement is prohibited.”

Unlike most inmates who wore the standard-issue orange jumpsuit, Mangione wore a “turtle suit,” Wright recalled, referring to a padded “getup” generally worn by inmates who are considered at risk for self-harm.

During Mangione’s time at the prison, the now-viral prison interview by Ashleigh Banfield was conducted.

She had discerned that some prisoners — those in the E Block, Wright said — were watching her show as she reported live from outside SCI Huntingdon. The prisoners would yell and “blink their ceiling lights in response” to what she said.

“I haven’t heard voices here raised in such raucous unison since 2018, when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl,” Wright said, adding, “I suppose people relished the moment to have a voice.” 

Wright surmised that Mangione’s treatment at the facility was likely a softer version of the prison guards’ norm, “because they wanted something from him” and “everyone wanted a piece of the biggest crime story in the nation.”

“Now, nearly 2,000 of us are part of that story. No matter what, Mangione is and will forever be an SCI Huntingdon alumnus,” Wright concluded. “His brothers here will intently follow his case as it moves forward through the criminal justice system, all the while telling anyone who’ll listen, if it had been them, what they would have done to keep from getting arrested in the first place.”