A fundraiser on the platform GiveSendGo has raised over $ 40,000 as of Wednesday, with messages of support for Luigi Mangione flooding in. Donations have surged for Mangione’s legal defence after his arrest for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.
Many donors have shared frustration with the US healthcare system, blaming insurance for denying care and increasing inequality. One contributor called the act a “justifiable homicide,” adding, “Denying healthcare coverage to people is murder, but no one gets charged with that crime.”
Anonymous donors have contributed to a fundraiser started by the ‘December 4th Legal Committee.’
One donor gave $1,000 and wrote, “I feel sorry for both Luigi Mangione and the healthcare CEO. A brilliant student from top schools is now a killer.”
Another top donor gave $1,300, writing, “Coincidentally, the same amount I was charged for my 100% covered medical procedure.”
A third donor, who gave an additional $1,000, wrote, “For my mother, a victim of the insurance industry. RIP. Thank you, Mr. Mangione, for your sacrifice.”
Messages on the fundraising page read slogans like “Deny, Defend, Depose,” reportedly found on shell casings at the murder site, referring to alleged insurance tactics to avoid payouts. Meanwhile, Mangione merchandise, including hats and T-shirts bearing phrases like “CEO Hunter” and “FREE LUIGI,” has surfaced online.
Felipe Rodriguez, a former NYPD detective sergeant, criticised the public response. “They’ve made him a martyr for all the troubles people have had with their own insurance companies,” he said. “But he’s a stone-cold killer.”
Mangione, who reportedly suffered from chronic back pain, remains in custody in Pennsylvania on gun and forgery charges while prosecutors in New York pursue extradition. His lawyer has said that he plans to plead not guilty to the charges.
Some social media users have praised Mangione’s actions, with TikTok videos calling him a “legend” and backing his courtroom outburst against corporate greed. However, others have condemned the killing, seeing it as a dangerous rise in anti-capitalist views and left-wing propaganda.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, is charged with shooting Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, then fleeing and avoiding capture for five days. Police say they have matched the gun found with Mangione to shell casings at the scene and connected his fingerprints to nearby evidence.
The 26-year-old has become a debated figure, seen by some as a folk hero, celebrity, and crush, dividing opinions across the United States.