By Joseph Ax, Rich McKay and Brad Brooks
NEW YORK (Reuters) – In the days since Luigi Mangione was charged with murder for shooting a top health insurance executive, more than a thousand donations have poured into an online fundraiser for his legal defense, with posts supporting him and even the celebrating crime.
‘Wanted’ posters with the faces of CEOs have appeared on walls in New York. Websites sell Mangione merchandise, including hats with “CEO Hunter” printed on a rose. And some social media users have gushed over his smile and six-pack abs.
Mangione has been charged with murder for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a father of two, in a brutal shooting Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel before an industry conference, sparking a five-day manhunt for the masked attacker.
The crime he is accused of has been widely condemned, but the Ivy League-educated, photogenic 26-year-old has become a disturbing mix of folk hero, celebrity and online crush in certain circles. His support has seemingly only increased since his arrest on Monday.
Most posts on the crowdsourced fundraising site GiveSendGo reflect a deep frustration that many Americans share with the U.S. health care system — where some treatments and reimbursements can be denied to patients depending on their insurance coverage — as well as a broader anger about rising incomes. inequality and rising executive pay.
“Denying people health care coverage is murder, but no one is charged with that crime,” wrote one donor, calling the killing a “justifiable homicide.”
Several others simply wrote: “Deny, Defend, Depose” – the words allegedly written on the shell casings found at the murder scene and which were intended to invoke tactics some insurers accuse they use them to prevent claims from being paid.
More than $31,000 had been raised on GiveSendGo alone as of Wednesday.
Felipe Rodriguez, a former NYPD detective sergeant, expressed dismay at the response.
“They made him a martyr for all the problems people have had with their own insurance companies,” said Rodriguez, now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. ‘I mean, who hasn’t had a run-in with their insurance? But he’s a stone-cold killer.”
Mangione is being held in Pennsylvania on weapons possession and forgery charges, while prosecutors in New York are seeking his extradition. His attorney said he plans to plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania.
FRUSTRATION AND ANGER
On Wednesday, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police matched a gun found on Mangione to shell casings found at the scene and his fingerprints to a water bottle and energy bar wrapper found nearby.
Other evidence includes handwritten documents found in his possession that frame his alleged crime as a legitimate response to what he viewed as corporate greed, some media have reported.
Mangione lashed out Tuesday as he was led into a courthouse, shouting in part, “…completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people!”
Americans pay more for health care than residents of any other country, and data shows that spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, pharmaceuticals and hospital services have all increased over the past five years.
Health insurers like UnitedHealth typically administer health insurance on behalf of employers and the government, which have a say in what services and medications are covered.
According to friends and social media posts, Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, although it is unclear whether his personal health played a role in the shooting.
“It’s hard to understate the anger and fear that people have toward their insurance companies,” said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
Shapiro said he had never seen anything like the reaction to Mangione, but added: “It’s not that far-fetched given the mood in the country and the ease of cheering this anonymously on the Internet.”
On TikTok, users shared videos and photos of Mangione’s outburst with praising messages such as “this man is an absolute legend” and “class consciousness is rising.”
Several sites sold T-shirts featuring his face with messages like “FREE LUIGI” and “In This House, Luigi Mangione Is A Hero, End of Story.” Others sold hats with the phrase “Don’t Deny My Coverage.”
‘Deeply disturbing’
However, support was by no means universal.
Several commentators on social media pointed out Mangione’s privileged background as a member of a prominent family in Baltimore, Maryland, compared to Thompson’s working-class upbringing in rural Iowa, and said the killing was an example of how anti-capitalist rhetoric can incite violence. Others described how their health insurance plans paid for life-saving treatments.
On Wednesday, Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:), sent employees a letter praising Thompson. “Brian was one of the good guys,” he wrote. “I’m going to miss him. And I’m incredibly proud to call him my friend.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro condemned those who valorized Mangione on Monday, calling the response “deeply disturbing.”
“In America, we don’t kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a point of view,” he said.
Executives came out during a panel at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Wednesday Pfizer (NYSE:) and Amazon (NASDAQ:) said healthcare companies are taking a step back to better understand patient experiences.
“Our healthcare system needs to be better… There are a lot of things that should cause a lot of outrage,” says Amazon Pharmacy Chief. Medical (TASE:) Officer Vin Gupta said. “It is also true that (the murder) should not have happened. There cannot be this false moral equivalence in our discourse.”
