Luigi Mangione, a 27-year-old currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, has been listening to music by Taylor Swift and Charli XCX, as revealed in a letter he sent to a supporter. In the same correspondence, he mentioned that he also listens to the rapper Lil Durk, following the recommendation of a fellow inmate. The recipient of Mangione’s letter shared images of the note and the stamped envelope with PEOPLE to verify its authenticity.
In June, Mangione celebrated his 27th birthday by sending letters to friends and supporters. He included a list of 27 things he was thankful for, which was a blend of typed and handwritten messages. On Tuesday, the Twitter account known as The Mangione Trial posted one of these letters, providing additional context to Mangione’s current situation. The account confirmed the letter’s legitimacy by sharing photos of both the letter and the envelope, indicating that it was a response to a letter they sent on May 22.
Mangione’s letter opened with a typed list of his gratitude before transitioning to a personal message. He revealed that he had “downloaded a bunch of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX onto my tablet” after discovering that a “phony list” of his favorite music was circulating online. This seems to reference manipulated Spotify playlists that emerged following his arrest in December 2024, which falsely attributed songs from artists like Swift and Charli XCX to him.
During his time in jail, Mangione described listening to Swift’s song “Cardigan” while walking laps in his unit. However, his enjoyment of the music was short-lived after an inmate, referred to as “King,” intervened. Mangione humorously noted, “He scolds me for a while, then replaces all my music. Now I listen to Lil Durk.”
Inmates at the detention center can purchase MP3 players through the commissary and access the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) to download songs from a limited catalog. In his letter, Mangione initially listed “Cardigan” among the things he was thankful for, but later crossed it out in favor of a song by Lil Durk titled “Dis Ain’t What You Want.”
Mangione is currently awaiting trials on both federal and state charges. He has earned the nickname “ambassador” among inmates for his efforts in helping newcomers acclimate to the facility. His legal troubles began after he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on December 9, 2024, just five days after the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, outside his Manhattan hotel. Following his arrest, he was extradited to New York City and charged with four federal offenses by the Southern District of New York.
Mangione’s next court appearance is scheduled for December 1, 2024, for a pretrial hearing related to his New York state case. As his legal battles continue, his musical exploration, particularly of artists like Taylor Swift, adds a unique dimension to his experience behind bars.
