Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is about to receive over $300,000 in donations from supporters for his defence, which could be a startling sign of how much Americans despise their health insurance system. The money donated through the GiveSendGo portal will be accepted, according to confirmation from his legal team.
The fundraising page states that more than 10,000 people have contributed, with each donation averaging $30. The campaign recognised the funding and said Mangione “very much appreciates the outpouring of support” in a statement credited to his lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
Authorities claim that Thompson, 50, was shot dead by Mangione, 26, on the morning of December 4 while the executive was travelling to an investor conference outside the New York Hilton Midtown. The event was apparently caught on surveillance footage.
After a five-day manhunt, Mangione was apprehended in Pennsylvania after being discovered at a McDonald’s with a gun purportedly connected to the murder. According to officials, he also had a notepad that was critical of the executives and the private health insurance system in the United States, as well as phoney identity.
Mangione is facing accusations of murder and terrorism from New York state prosecutors, as well as interstate stalking and using a firearm to commit murder from federal prosecutors. In his defence of the terrorism allegation, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the murder a “frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
The funding drive was led by a group identifying itself as the December 4th Legal Committee. Although the group maintains that it does not support violence, it does declare on its GiveSendGo page that “We believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation.”
According to Mangione’s attorney, the money would be used to help in his defence. Friedman Agnifilo told ABC News that her client “plans on utilising [the money] to fight all… of the unprecedented cases against him.”
Nationwide discussion has been triggered by the case. According to a University of Chicago survey, a large number of Americans think the incident was caused by the health insurance business because of its history of refusing coverage. But according to the survey, 80% of participants believed Mangione was directly responsible for the killing.
Some GiveSendGo donors, however, remained steadfast in their support of the accused. One commenter said, “Let’s defend the [right] for self-defence,” while another wrote, “Free the guy, his work here isn’t done (he’s innocent)!” according to The Guardian.
In the months before the attack, Mangione, a Maryland Ivy League graduate, reportedly distanced himself from friends and family and posted on social media about his back pain problems. Nonetheless, UnitedHealthcare attested that he had never used the service.
After 20 years at UnitedHealth Group, Thompson, a married father of two, took over as head of the insurance sector in 2021. Some have viewed his assassination as a sombre reflection of growing resentment about corporate control over healthcare access, which has increased scrutiny of the healthcare sector.
In federal court, Mangione might be executed, and in state court, he could be sentenced to life in prison. He entered a not guilty plea. His defence team is still getting ready for what is anticipated to be a very well watched trial, and his extradition process is still in progress.