'He was absolutely not a violent person': Friend 'shocked' as pal arrested in CEO slaying

A friend of the suspected assassin of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last week described the man as a “thoughtful person” who led a book club, practiced yoga and calisthenics – and suffered from chronic back pain.

“I'm beyond shocked. It's unimaginable,” said R.J. Martin, a friend and former roommate of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione. Martin opened up in a revealing interview with CNN on Monday night, hours after a nationwide manhunt led police to a Pennsylvania McDonald’s location where Mangione was arrested on weapon and fake ID charges, according to media reports.

“I remember he said he had a back issue, and he was hoping to get stronger in Hawaii,” Martin told CNN’s Erin Burnett. He added that after first arriving in Honolulu, a basic surf lesson turned into a painful experience for Mangione.

“He was in bed for about a week,” Martin said. “We had to get a different bed for him that was more firm, and I know it was really traumatic and difficult. You know, when you're in your early 20s and you can't do some basic things, it can be really, really difficult.”

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Martin, owner of the co-living community Surfbreak HNL where Mangione lived, said he remembers the man now suspected of gunning down healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday as “focused on being strong and healthy.”

“But it also weighed on him that he knew that there was an impending surgery,” Martin added.

Still, Martin never recalled Mangione having “an axe to grind” with any particular health care issue. The two have remained in communication throughout the years, mostly through text messages, he said.

“Earlier this year I checked in with him, he confirmed that he had had surgery, and he sent me the x-rays,” he said. “It looked heinous with just giant screws going into his spine.”

But Martin noted that Mangione never talked about guns or wanting to commit violent acts.

“He was absolutely a not violent person, as far as I can tell,” Martin said. “Personally, I can make zero sense of it. There's never a justification for violence.”

Watch the clip below or at the link.