Luigi Mangione’s former cellmate has shared details about the accused CEO killer’s life behind bars. Michael Daddea, 29, spent two nights with Mangione and describes him as “super nice” despite his notorious reputation.
Prison Job Assignment
Mangione, 27, works as a shower cleaner at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. “He’s the guy who cleans the washrooms,” Daddea said in a video post on X. “Not what you’d expect from someone who allegedly assassinated a CEO, right?”
The job involves scrubbing floors of communal showers. Other inmates with work assignments prepare meals and clean food trays.
Daily Prison Life
Daddea says Mangione often jogs around their unit and regularly checks newspapers for mentions of his case. “He’d have me help look through some to see if there are articles about him,” Daddea wrote in a now-deleted comment.
The pair shared meals together and even participated in Ash Wednesday services with a priest who put charcoal crosses on their foreheads.
First Meeting
Daddea was surprised by Mangione’s friendly greeting when they first met. “I look out the cell, Luigi is standing there and he’s like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ Like, super nice. Introduced himself to me first thing.”
Mangione told Daddea he was one of the first inmates who recognized him or cared about his case.
About the Cellmate
Daddea was briefly jailed for allegedly 3D-printing more than 25 untraceable “ghost guns” before being bailed on March 7. His video about Mangione has gone viral on TikTok after first getting 800,000 views on X.
The Case
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York City in December 2024. CCTV footage appears to show the shooting.
Legal Status
Mangione has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court again on June 26. His lawyers describe him as a “model prisoner” during his 175-day detention.
On his 27th birthday in June, Mangione wrote a thank-you list that included “Chicken Thursdays and Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce” and his cellmate who “tolerates the clutter of all my papers.”
The case sparked widespread media attention and social media discussion about the suspected shooter.
