“He Cleaned Showers and Looked for Articles About Himself”: Cellmate Reveals Inside Story of Alleged CEO Killer Luigi Mangione
BROOKLYN, NY — He’s accused of assassinating one of the most powerful healthcare executives in America. But behind the steel doors of Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, Luigi Mangione spends his days mopping showers, jogging laps, and flipping through newspapers in search of his own name.
That’s according to Michael Daddea, 29, a fellow inmate who spent just two nights in MDC’s notorious 4G unit before making bail — and went viral for spilling everything about his brief but revealing encounter with the alleged killer.
“Super Nice. Introduced Himself Right Away.”
“When I got there, the guard joked, ‘You’ll be with the UnitedHealthcare guy,’ and I thought he was kidding,” Daddea said in a since-deleted video posted to X (formerly Twitter). “I look out the cell, Luigi’s standing there like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ Just super nice. Introduced himself before I even unpacked.”
Mangione, 27, is awaiting trial for the broad daylight killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk on December 4, 2024. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
The “Collie” Who Scrubs Showers
Daddea explained that Mangione works as a “collie” — prison slang for inmates with institutional jobs.
“A collie can be like a unit boss or a cleaner,” Daddea said. “Luigi just happened to be the guy who cleaned the showers.”
According to Daddea, the alleged assassin took pride in the job. “Dude was spotless. Like, obsessed with keeping it clean.”
Chicken Thursdays and Ash Wednesday
In his short time inside, Daddea says he and another inmate, known only as “V,” became friendly with Mangione — bonding over shared faith and lunchroom routines.
“We did Ash Wednesday together when the priest came in,” Daddea recalled. “Luigi got the cross, sat down, grabbed his tray. We’d eat and bulls–t. Every day.”
Mangione also kept up with the outside world — mostly by obsessively scanning New York Post and Daily News issues for articles about his case. “He’d get the paper, flip to Metro, like, ‘Did they mention me today?’” Daddea said.
The Killer’s Commissary List
In an email sent from MDC on June 3, Mangione expressed thanks for the small comforts that made detention tolerable — including Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, Sazón seasoning, peanut butter, tuna packets, and “Chicken Thursdays.”
He also mentioned his cellmate, identified only as “J,” who “tolerates the clutter of all my papers, shares his unique wisdom, and doesn’t hesitate to humble me.”
And while Mangione acknowledged “the occasional minor dissent,” he praised the jail’s staff and officers, writing that they’re “nothing like what Shawshank or Stanford Prison Experiment had me believe.”
A Viral Confessional — Then Silence
The clip of Daddea’s jailhouse recollections drew over 80,000 views before being deleted from his X profile earlier this week. When reached by The Post, Daddea declined further comment.
Still, the 48-hour friendship painted a surreal portrait of Mangione — less as a ruthless killer, and more as a soft-spoken, barbecue-loving Catholic with a fixation on cleanliness and newspaper clippings.
“He told me, ‘You two are the first guys who knew who I was,’” Daddea remembered. “He was… proud of it? Or maybe just relieved someone recognized him.”
A Long Road Ahead
Mangione’s legal team maintains his innocence and claims he’s been a model inmate throughout his 175+ days in federal custody. They’ve pointed to his calm demeanor, lack of infractions, and structured daily habits as proof of his mental stability.
But prosecutors paint a darker picture — one of premeditation, ghost guns, and a calculated hit on a major corporate figure.
Mangione is due back in court on June 26, and the case is expected to be one of the most closely watched criminal trials in New York this year.
