00:00The internet is thirsting over this suspected assassin. But how exactly did a high-profile
00:04hit turn the primary suspect into an internet celebrity? Luigi Mangione is a 26-year-old
00:09who's believed to be the suspect in the high-profile execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
00:14While the internet usually has a big reaction to alleged criminals,
00:18a good portion of the online reaction to this one has been unusually supportive.
00:22So how is Luigi avoiding the scorn that most suspected killers would receive?
00:26The answer has to do with his good looks, social media presence, and the politics surrounding the
00:30shooting. Here's the full story. At approximately 6.04 a.m. EST on December 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare
00:36CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
00:40According to the NYPD, Thompson was soon after pronounced dead at a midtown hospital.
00:44The suspect then fled on foot and later on a bike, originally reported as a city bike.
00:49Quickly, word of the incident spread online, with images of the suspect from CCTV footage
00:53of the crime being released by the police, as well as actual surveillance footage of the event
00:57being leaked on Twitter. As word spread of the crime, reactions poured in across the web,
01:01with an overwhelming number of users showing support for the gunman,
01:04sharing unexpectedly positive takes, reflecting public frustrations with UnitedHealthcare's
01:09practices and the largely corporate nature of the U.S. healthcare system in general.
01:12Users made many memes and jokes surrounding the murder in the context of bad health insurance
01:17practices as well as revolutionary principles. One user even left a balloon at the crime scene
01:22with a celebratory meme image reading,
01:24CEO DOWN.
01:25Hours into the investigation into Brian Thompson's death, detectives revealed that
01:28the shell casings found at the scene of the crime had the words DENY, DEFEND, and DEPOSE
01:32written on them. Internet sleuths quickly connected the words to a 2010 book by Jay
01:36Feynman titled Delay, Deny, Defend — Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and
01:40What You Can Do About It. The killer's decision to leave the cryptic message behind sparked
01:44comparisons to the Batman villain The Riddler, known for his hatred of insurance companies
01:48and their exploitative practices. Meanwhile, several images started circulating of a person
01:53of interest in the case. For example, on December 5th, unmasked photos of the person of interest
01:57were shared to X by the NYPD. The photos only fueled the support for the alleged assassin,
02:02as many were quick to compliment his riz and simp over the suspect's handsome smile.
02:06Even Saturday Night Live referenced the suspect's appearance in their weekend update segment.
02:10And it really says something about America that a guy was murdered in cold blood
02:14and the two main reactions were, yeah, well, healthcare stinks.
02:18And also, girl, that shooter hot.
02:20On December 9th, the police located their person of interest, who was identified as
02:2426-year-old Luigi Mangione. Mangione was detained at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania,
02:29reportedly carrying a manifesto, a fake ID, and a ghost firearm that matched the description of the
02:35firearm used to kill Thompson. According to the New York Post, Mangione was a Maryland native
02:39and valedictorian of his Baltimore high school. He later received a bachelor's and a master's
02:43degree in science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. With the reveal
02:47of his identity, internet sleuths were quick to dig up images of Mangione, as well as information
02:52about him, including his prior social media activity, all of which fueled the internet frenzy.
02:56For example, one X user posted photos of Mangione with the caption,
03:00The manhunt has now ended with investigators declaring too hot to convict.
03:04In addition to simping over his looks, users also made jokes surrounding his Italian-sounding name,
03:08with some memes even imagining him as Luigi from Super Mario Bros.
03:12Users also shared Mangione's past social media presence, including his Instagram and Twitter
03:17history. On Twitter, he tended to engage with and promote content from Elon Musk, Andrew Huberman,
03:22and others in the tech world. Some users went back and interacted with some of his former posts,
03:26like, for example, this classic PhD joke which he made in response to another user,
03:30which, despite having been posted in May, garnered a huge uptick in likes after his detainment.
03:35What do you think of the craze surrounding the suspected killer? Is his newfound notoriety
03:39warranted or completely inappropriate? Let us know in the comments,
03:42and be sure to like and subscribe for the latest in internet culture.
Comments