Last updated on September 23rd, 2025
Editor’ s Note
In February 2025, we investigated a viral screenshot that appeared to mimic a CNBC article claiming Luigi Mangione had died in jail. This archived version preserves the original analysis for permanent reference. All key evidence and reasoning have been reviewed again and remain consistent with the initial findings.
Claim
A lookalike screenshot of a CNBC article started to spread on X since February 10, claiming that Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was found dead in jail cell.
Fact check
- Fake URL: 1) CNBC’s website is www.cnbc.com, not cnbcnews.us; 2) CNBC reports include a publish time in the URL; 3) the URL in the post was not found in Wayback Machine, which means it never exists.
- Wrong style: 1) CNBC does not capitalize adjectives and common nouns in the headline; 2) CNBC reports include a timestamp next to the date indicating the published time and the timing of updates; 3) CNBC puts its social media icons below the headlines.
- No matching results were retrieved when searching for the headline “JUST IN! Luigi Mangione Found Dead In Jail Cell” in combination with “site:cnbc.com” in Google.
- No reports related to Mangione was found published by the attributed reporter Jennifer Elias who covers Google and Silicon Valley for CNBC in San Francisco.
- No matching results were retrieved when searching for key words “Luigi Mangione” and “dead” in Google at the time of writing.
- Mangione remained incarcerated at Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, at the time of writing, according to the U.S. federal prison records.
Verdict
Fabricated. The supposed CNBC report never existed; the shared screenshot used a fake domain, incorrect formatting, and no corroborating records, while official U.S. prison data confirmed Mangione was alive at the time.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’ s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
