Ivy League Grad Arrested for Killing America's Top Insurer, He's Being Admired Online
In the US, the events surrounding the high-profile murder of the country's largest insurer are unfolding "live" on TV. 26-year-old Ivy League graduate and anti-capitalist Luigi Mangione was arrested for the murder. Just like with the O.J. Simpson case, which made Kim Kardashian's lawyer father famous, Americans have created a stir around the incident. TV is filled with stories about the case, and online people are gloating over the victim's death, admiring the killer, sharing memes on social networks, and have already found a lead actor for a new TV series based on the events.
The head of one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot dead on December 5 as he was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan. A masked assailant fired three bullets at the 50-year-old insurance agent at point-blank range and fled. The case, which could have been a routine one in a series of corporate showdowns, unexpectedly reached a new level — the news of the massacre caused unprecedented delight on social networks.
As reported in Western media, some Americans called Thompson's fate deserved - ordinary citizens say on social networks that they hate insurance companies. People believe that insurers too often refuse to pay out and cover expenses to seriously ill people, prevent access to medical care and generally deceive people for profit. On social networks, commentators began to express hope that the criminal will not be caught and write that they are ready to provide him with an alibi. They make memes and publish evil jokes about Thompson.
"He died doing what he loved - without medical care," "He was denied insurance because he had underlying health conditions - if he hadn't been so dependent on his organs, the gunshot wouldn't have been fatal," "According to our records, bullet wounds are easily treated with ibuprofen, so we're refusing to remove the bullet. Just drink plenty of fluids to compensate for the blood loss. You may be okay, but we don't care," "I heard he begged to be kept alive, but his insurance was denied," jokes a Reddit user about Thompson's death.
Five days later, the story took a new turn with the arrest of the alleged killer, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, described by the press as an outstanding student, environmentalist, and activist. According to the New York Post, the young man studied at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, and before that, he graduated with honors from a school in Baltimore, where tuition costs about $40,000 a year. Luigi's LinkedIn page indicates that in 2014, he worked for several months at a nursing home while still in high school.
Mangione was detained at McDonald's - an employee of the chain notified the police that a person similar to the wanted man had come to the restaurant. The detainee was found to have a pistol with a silencer, fake IDs and a manifesto. The document reportedly contains criticism of the American healthcare system. Luigi had previously often criticized capitalism on his social networks. According to preliminary data, the motive for the murder was hatred of insurance companies because of the way they treated a sick relative of Mangione. It is known that he had previously lost his grandparents.
Luigi Mangione's story and the photos of him with his toned abs have resonated with social media users. People are writing that he is "too hot to be punished" and are threatening to punish the McDonald's employee who "ratted out" the guy. Some are calling for a boycott of the fast food chain, while others have created accounts to raise funds to support Mangione, but all of them have been blocked.
This whole situation has led commentators to think that another series will soon be filmed hot on the heels of the incident. Users have even found a candidate for the role of the killer - they are calling for the role of the shooter to be played by the brother of actor Jaime Franco ("Spider-Man", "127 Hours"), 39-year-old Dave Franco.
"Dave Franco, pick up the phone," "Dave Franco's agent has been on the phone all morning," "Netflix and HBO executives are preparing to hire Dave Franco to play Luigi Mangione in a four-part documentary," "[Director] Ryan Murphy is going to turn this into a miniseries with Dave Franco, right?" commenters write.
People are making fun of how streaming platforms are trying to profit from high-profile cases. In September 2024, Netflix released the series "Monsters: The Menendez Story," based on the true story of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents. Earlier, in 2022, the documentary series "House of Hammer" was released, which tells the story of the scandal surrounding Hollywood star Armie Hammer. The actor was accused of sexual assault, manipulation, brutal BDSM practices, and even cannibalism.
A case in point is that of football player and actor O.J. Simpson, who was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend. At that time, little-known lawyer Robert Kardashian skillfully built a line of defense and rebuffed all the prosecutor's charges. The jury ultimately decided that Simpson, who was facing the death penalty, should be released from liability. The case was widely covered in the press, and Robert's wife Kris Kardashian, riding the wave of popularity, decided to launch her own reality show.