The suspect’s paternal grandparents, Nicholas and Mary Mangione, were real estate developers who purchased the Turf Valley Country Club in 1978 and Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley in 1986.
Shortly after Mr Mangione was charged, his cousin, Republican state lawmaker Nino Mangione, released a statement saying the family was “shocked and devastated”.
“We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved”, the statement read.
Thomas Maronick, a defence attorney who knows members of the family, told the BBC of his shock at the charges.
“You wouldn’t think someone of privilege or means from a family that’s known for doing so much for the community would do something like this,” he said.
Mr Mangione attended the private, all-boys Gilman School in Baltimore. He was valedictorian, an accolade usually bestowed on the student with the highest academic achievements.
Speaking to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, one of his classmates said Mr Mangione “didn’t have any enemies” and was a “valedictorian for a reason”.
