The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, on Dec. 4, 2024, in New York City, immediately captured national attention. But many people immediately fixated mostly on the manhunt for the assailant, and then on Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect who was charged on Dec. 9 with Thompson’s murder.
Mangione, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who worked as a software engineer, has attracted a fan base of enthusiastic and intrigued supporters. Some people have posted social media videos and posts saying they want to date Mangione and think he is good- looking. Others have focused on other personal details, like the more than US$270 backpack Mangione might have dropped in Central Park after the alleged crime.
