By Celeste Arbelaez
UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside of the Hilton Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, as he was heading to an investor conference meeting. It was reported and captured in the footage later released to the public that Thompson was shot from behind with three shots fired. Tragically, he did not survive the attack. The suspect was wearing a green jacket and a mask that concealed his identity.
A reward was offered by the FBI and NYPD of up to $60,000 for whoever found or knew anything about the suspected shooter. The shooter was found in the McDonald’s of Altoona, Pennsylvania after a five-day man hunt when a worker tipped 911. The captured suspect was identified as Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Italian American male. His profile stood out since he came from a wealthy family with ties to the healthcare system, owning Lorien Health Service. The Mangione family is well known for their philanthropy work, donating to medical centers such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
On Dec. 19 he was extradited to NYC by helicopter from a Pennsylvania prison. He was met with heavily armed officers and by the NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Many took to social media how law enforcement tried to make Mangione look scary but instead many saw him as a national hero. Some have even called him Robinhood while others have called him a murderer.
Once people heard about Mangione and what he had done, instead of being distraught by his alleged act of murder, most on social media praised him. Many young people started to make memes and he became the media's next obsession. Mangione garnered a lot of support from social media users and influencers in big platforms such as Instagram, X and TikTok.
Many people regardless of their political affiliation have voiced their frustrations towards corporate America’s exploitation of the working class, specifically the healthcare system profiting while denying coverage on many life saving treatments. The demographics that have supported Mangione are young people (college students). There was a nationwide poll conducted by Generation Lab that surveyed over 1,000 college students and found that 45% sympathized with Mangione while 17% sympathized with Thompson, and 37% did not support them.
Though many young people have sympathized with Mangione and supported his actions, others have had an opposite view on the whole situation. Some people have been upset with other people condoning the actions of the alleged murderer and believe that murder is still illegal and wrong and that he should still be held accountable.
Those in social media are mostly in support of Mangione and they have even started a Gofundme and fundraisers for his case. The media has been obsessed with him, many contributing his looks playing a significant role in making him viral. Since many young people are making edits of him for being good looking. There was even a Luigi Mangione cake that a mother made for her daughter’s birthday that was shown on Instagram. There was even a Luigi Mangione cake that a mother made for her daughter’s birthday that was shown on Instagram. There was also a legal defense fundraiser made by the December 4th Legal defense on his behalf to pay for his legal fees in court with his upcoming trials just around the corner. It has raised $447,378 out of the $1,000,000 which is the main goal.
About that, an Adelphi student weighed in. When asked about how social media was handling the case, Tiffany Wong, a junior with an early childhood education major, said, “Social media likes to spin the story and come up with crazy conspiracies and tell people inaccurate information.”
Many people are upset that the NYPD made the case such a big deal due to the fact that they believe that if it were an ordinary person instead of a wealthy CEO then the police would not put in as much effort. In addition many supporters believe that any other person would not get this much coverage and instead it would be ignored if they weren’t rich.
Amidst the public’s interest with the case, the internet has noticed a pattern between Mangione and the number 286. Conspiracy theorists have made several connections. For instance, the number 286 is the denial code used in health care to appeal time limits for a claim that has not been met. This number is also associated with the bible verse Proverbs 28:6, “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity. Than he who is crooked though he be rich” as an interpretation on Mangione’s actions. Amplifying the fascination with the number, he was found 286 miles away from the crime scene. And even more peculiar his favorite Pokémon is, which coincidentally has the number 286, tying this number to case and adding to the puzzling connection.
Mangione faces both state and federal charges. In New York, he has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, first degree murder, and 11 additional criminal counts. While federally he has been charged with using a firearm to commit a murder (related to evidence being found of a 3D gun with a silencer) and interstate stalking resulting in death. If convicted of state charges he could face life in prison but if convicted of federal charges he could face the death penalty. Due to this he will be tried in two separate courts, with his state court appearance scheduled for Feb. 21.
When Wong was asked how law enforcement was dealing with the situation she said, “I think the law enforcement is handling the case as best as they can in an appropriate manner. There is only so much they can do.”
In addition to this Mangione has received a lot of support through the form of letters as well. Several of these letters were sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center which is where he is staying at. He made a public statement of how grateful he was to everyone that supported him across the country and around the world. What adds to the matter is the fact that his legal defense team has made a website that keeps the general public updated on the case.
I think what Mangione did was wrong, because murder is illegal and wrong. I feel like he shouldn’t have murdered the CEO since he broke the law and now is facing the consequences of doing so. I believe that the punishment he is facing is important to detering other people from committing crimes like this one. This case is very interesting and can be seen from many angles, which adds to the intrigue. Now in the age of technology there are more resources available and the case can now reach many. Since Mangione has pleaded not guilty for the state charges of murder and terrorism this will take an interesting turn to see what the defense has to say. Now it is up for the courts to either declare Mangione guilty of murder as an act of terrorism or will he be declared innocent? We won’t find out until a verdict is given in the three court dates scheduled on February 21 and 24th which are both state cases for NY and Pennsylvania then on March 19 for his Federal case.
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