About “two dozen” women were in the court’s public gallery today to support gunman Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to multiple news reports.
Newsweek reached out to Mangione’s lawyer for comment.
Why It Matters
Mangione, 26, entered the Manhattan court room in shackles and a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt. His own family was not present, but about 24 women were in the courtroom to support him. Many of the women were wearing face masks and some were visibly emotional, according to ABC news.
This is not the first time Mangione has seen support because of his looks, especially after an image of him smiling, unmasked at a New York City hostel hit the internet. Many have joked on social media that the gunman is joining a list of “hot criminals” that also includes Jeremy Meeks who was arrested in 2014 for illegal gun possession and gun activity and has since become a model.
Accounts like @HotforLuigi have also popped up on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One video on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows masked women singing “The Hanging Tree,” which was popularized by the movie “The Hunger Games,” outside of the Manhattan courthouse.
Mangione pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges.
What To Know
Luigi Mangione was charged with one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, including one of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism “for the brazen, targeted and premeditated shooting on Brian Thompson,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on December 17.
There are also additional charges related to criminal possession of a weapon. The maximum penalty for first-degree murder and second-degree as an act of terrorism is life without parole. The maximum for second-degree murder is 25 years to life.
On Monday, Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder charges.
Mangione, 26, was arrested in Pennsylvania last week following a search for a gunman believed to have fatally shot Thompson, 50, on December 4 in Manhattan.
Thompson was shot outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, where UnitedHealthcare was holding its investor conference. A hooded attacker, who appeared to have been lying in wait, fled on foot to a back alley and then took an e-bike in the direction of Central Park.
Mangione was being held without bail in Pennsylvania, where he is charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. The most serious of those charges, forgery, is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Mangione has pled not guilty to those charges.
He is now in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC).
The NYPD said Mangione’s fingerprints appear to match those found near the site of the shooting. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference last week that the shell casings recovered at the site matched the 3D-printed gun that Mangione possessed when he was detained in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
A manifesto found with Mangione suggested his actions were fueled by anger toward the health insurance industry, describing executives as “parasites.”
What People Are Saying
Enzo Yaksic, who runs the Atypical Homicide Research Group, to Newsweek: “Since women are the primary audience of true crime programming, it is unlikely that they are unaware that attractive men can and have perpetrated some of history’s most heinous acts…Widespread support for Mangione – based on his appearance and coupled with a disdain for corporate executives – is a dangerous precedent to set given its ramifications on jury nullification.”
CBS reporter Ali Bauman, on X: “I’m in Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Luigi Mangione’s arraignment on state charges. Next to line of reporters waiting to go in courtroom, there is a line for general public- almost all young women seemingly in their early 20s.”
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, to reporters outside of court: “Mr. Mangione appreciates everyone’s support…He’s a young man and he’s being treated like a human ping pong ball by two warring jurisdictions here. They’re treating him like a human spectacle”
Colin Jost, on SNL: “Luigi Mangione dropped his extradition fight and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York to face multiple charges. In related news, Bumble exploded.”
What Happens Next
Mangione will be tried in New York City for homicide and related charges. His next court appearance is scheduled for January 18, 2025.
