Plush toys of Luigi Mario, supporters wearing the video game character’s distinctive green, and pins boasting the face of alleged murderer Luigi Mangione were ubiquitous outside the New York criminal courthouse where the 26-year-old accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appeared for a pretrial hearing.
“We the people want Luigi free!” the crowd chanted outside the courthouse in downtown Manhattan. The chants could be heard from the 15th floor of the building, where Mangione appeared in leg and arm shackles and a bulletproof vest that covered a dark green sweater.
