Luigi Mangione’s supporters have sent glowing messages to the alleged killer as they raise thousands of dollars for his legal fund.
The suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO gunman, 26, has been charged with murder following his arrest at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania for the Dec. 4 killing of Brain Thompson outside a New York City hotel.
Mangione is now inundated with support, with a huge fan base calling for his release as they praise his actions.
Supporters started a GiveSendGo page to raise money to cover his legal costs after GoFundMe removed pages set up for him.
Hundreds of donors have raised more than $35,000 for the accused killer so far and have even sent messages calling him a hero.
‘All revolutions start somewhere. May the American people see it,” said one donor.
‘Every revolution has a pioneer, a martyr. You chose to be the one and you will be remembered for being the one,” said another.
“I’m sorry for your back pain, I don’t think you should have taken his life – that’s not for us to decide, but the message is one that needed to be heard,” said one supporter.
Supporters of suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione sent enthusiastic messages to the alleged killer
Mangione, 26, has been charged with murder for the Dec. 4 killing of Brain Thompson outside a New York City hotel
“When the poor fight back, it’s called violence,” said a fourth person.
Fundraiser organizers said they do not celebrate violence but believe in the right to fair legal representation.
“All proceeds will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to decline the money, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other American political prisoners,” the fundraiser said.
Prominent attorney Thomas Dickey was hired to defend Mangione in the Keystone State.
Mangione had an action-packed day in court on Tuesday as he fought extradition to New York.
The former Ivy League student suffered a violent public breakdown and had to be restrained while shouting at police as he headed to the hearing.
The enraged 26-year-old shouted “this is completely unjust and an insult to the American people” as he was physically detained by officers on the scene.
Dramatic footage from outside the Pennsylvania building showed the enraged Mangione’s clenched teeth and furrowed brow as he screamed – before an officer grabbed him by the neck from behind and hurried him into the courtroom door.
Fingerprints found at the scene of the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO match those of the suspected killer, according to police.
NYPD sources say the shooter left a Kind bar and a water bottle at the scene, and fingerprints on the items have been matched to Mangione’s.
Police also reportedly found a water bottle that the suspect had purchased at Starbucks shortly before the murder.
The fingerprint match would be the first scientific forensic evidence against Mangione.
Authorities have said Mangione was found with a three-page manifesto that is currently under investigation, which they have called a “claim of responsibility.”
The document is a separate piece of evidence from the spiral notebook allegedly found on him, in which he wrote a “to-do” list and flirted with the idea of bombing Midtown to kill the healthcare millionaire.
In the manifesto, Mangione is said to have written about the grandiose size of UnitedHealthcare and how much profit it makes, and went on to condemn health insurers more broadly for putting profit over care.
Details about his writing come against the backdrop of the UPenn graduate’s own experience with the medical field as he struggled after a spinal cord injury. His extensive online presence also revealed that he had read several books on back pain.
Mangione reportedly toyed with the idea of bombing Manhattan to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (pictured)
Mangione had an action-packed day in court on Tuesday as he fought extradition to New York
‘To spare you a lengthy investigation, I clearly state that I have not collaborated with anyone. This was pretty trivial: some basic social engineering, basic CAD, (and) a lot of patience,” he reportedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.
He went on to say he had “respect” for federal investigators and apologized for causing any “trauma” but appeared to defend his alleged actions.
“To be honest, these parasites already expected it,” the manifesto wrote.
It claimed that the United States had the “world’s most expensive health care system” but criticized the system for only ranking America 42nd in life expectancy.