Since Luigi Mangione was charged with murder for fatally shooting a senior health insurance executive, more than a thousand donations have been made to an online fundraiser for his legal defense, with messages of support and even celebration of crime.
In New York, “Wanted” posters with CEOs’ faces were plastered on walls. Websites sell Mangione merchandise, including caps emblazoned with “CEO Hunter.” Some social media users swooned over his smile and abs.
Mr. Mangione was charged with murder for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a father of two, in a brazen shooting Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel before an industry conference, which which sparked a five-day manhunt for the masked assailant.
The crime he is accused of has been widely condemned, but the photogenic 26-year-old Ivy League graduate has become a troubling mix of folk hero, celebrity and online crush in some circles. His support has only intensified since his arrest on Monday.
Many of the posts on the fundraising site GiveSendGo reflect a deep frustration shared by many Americans with the U.S. health care system — where patients may be denied certain treatments and reimbursements based on their insurance coverage – as well as more general anger at growing income inequality and soaring executive pay.
“Denying people health coverage is murder, but no one is charged for this crime,” one donor wrote, calling the killing a “justifiable homicide.”
Several others simply wrote “Deny, Defend, Depose” – the words allegedly written on shell casings found at the murder scene and which are intended to invoke tactics that some accuse insurers of using to avoid paying insurance claims. ‘compensation.
More than $31,000 had been raised as of Wednesday on the GiveSendGo site alone.
Felipe Rodriguez, a former New York City police detective sergeant, said he was dismayed by the reaction.
“They made him a martyr for all the problems people had with their own insurance companies,” said Mr. Rodriguez, now an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. “I mean, who hasn’t had problems with their confidence? But he’s a stone cold killer.”
Mangione is being held in Pennsylvania on gun possession and counterfeiting charges, while New York prosecutors are seeking his extradition. His lawyer said he intends to plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania.
FRUSTRATION AND ANGER
On Wednesday, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police had matched the gun found on Mangione to shell casings found at the scene, and between his fingerprints and a water bottle and an energy bar wrapper found nearby.
Other evidence includes handwritten documents found in his possession that describe his alleged crime as a legitimate response to what he saw as corporate greed, some media outlets reported.
Mr. Mangione himself lost his temper on Tuesday as he was led into court, exclaiming in part: “…completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people!”
Americans pay more for health care than people in any other country, and data shows that spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, pharmaceuticals, and hospital services has all increased over the past five years.
Health insurers like UnitedHealth most often manage health benefits on behalf of employers and the government, who have a say in what services and medications are covered.
Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, according to friends and social media posts, but it is unclear whether his medical condition played a role in the shooting.
“It’s hard to underestimate the anger and anguish people feel toward their insurance companies,” said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. York.
Shapiro said he had never seen anything like the reaction to Mangione, but added: “It’s not that far-fetched given the mood of the country and the ease with which you can applaud anonymously on the Internet.”
On TikTok, users shared videos and photos of Mangione’s outburst with glowing messages, such as “this man is an absolute legend” and “class consciousness is rising.”
Several sites sold T-shirts bearing his image with messages such as “FREE LUIGI” and “In This House, Luigi Mangione Is A Hero, End of Story.” history). Others sold caps with the phrase “Don’t Deny My Coverage.”
DEEPLY DISTURBING
Support was not universal, however, far from it.
Several commenters on social media pointed to Mr. Mangione’s privileged background, a member of a prominent Baltimore, Maryland, family, compared to Mr. Thompson’s working-class upbringing in rural Iowa, and said that this murder was an example of how anti-capitalist rhetoric can incite violence. Others explained that their health insurance plan allowed them to receive life-saving treatment.
On Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group Inc CEO Andrew Witty sent his employees a letter praising Mr. Thompson. “Brian was one of the good parts,” he wrote. “I’m going to miss him. And I’m incredibly proud to call him my friend.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday condemned people who praised Mangione, calling the reaction “deeply disturbing.”
“In America, we don’t kill people in cold blood to resolve political differences or express a point of view,” he said.
At a panel discussion at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Wednesday, executives from Pfizer and Amazon said healthcare companies are taking a step back to better understand the patient experience.
“Our health system must be improved […]. There are a lot of things that should cause outrage,” said Vin Gupta, Amazon Pharmacy’s chief medical officer. “It’s also true that (the killing) should not have happened. There cannot be this false moral equivalence in our discourse.”
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