The dark fandom behind CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione

Wearing hoodies and masks, they limped along, nervously laughing as they waited for the winner to be announced.

Just days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered on a New York City sidewalk, these young men took to Washington Square to take part in a lookalike contest for the man wanted on murder charges. They were lined up in the park.

Journalist Talia Jane, who was at the venue, said the event was sparsely attended and many people thought it was a joke.

But the report underscored the obsession with the suspected killer that has dominated social media since the Dec. 4 killing, with potential anger directed at America's private health insurance companies.

“There were already a lot of flashpoints out there, a lot of dissatisfaction, a lot of frustration, and (this) was kind of a game-changer,” Jane said.

And it has grown even more so since the suspect was named as Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League-educated member of a prominent Baltimore family.

In TikTok videos, memes and group chats, the young man accused of shooting a father of two in the back on a New York City sidewalk is being hailed and celebrated as a kind of folk hero.

This fetishization was not limited to extreme corners of the internet or political affiliations, but was surprisingly widespread and troubled many observers.

“You don't kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express your views,” said Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested at McDonald's.

“In civil society, when ideologues engage in vigilante justice, we all become less safe.”

Immediately after Mr. Thompson was shot and killed, the internet began touting his murder suspect. On TikTok, people posted videos of the “CEO Assassin” walking tour of New York City. Spotify has started showing playlists specific to suspects.

After Mangione was arrested, these fans came to his defense.

As his legal battle began, anonymous donors donated thousands of dollars to his defense through various online fundraisers.

Etsy was flooded with pro-Mangione apparel, but Amazon removed similar items from its site.

The McDonald's employee who allegedly handed him over has been the target of online hate, while the fast food franchise itself has been flooded with negative reviews.

Police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who arrested him even received death threats.

Much of this online reaction has focused on his appearance, with the internet calling him a “hot assassin.”

Indeed, Mr. Mangione's appearance, which he showed off in shirtless social media posts, is now clearly part of his appeal, said cultural commentator Blakely Thornton.

He said Americans are effectively “programmed” to trust and empathize with men who look like Mr. Mangione.

“That's why they are the protagonists of our films, books and stories.”

Public adoration of handsome men accused of crimes is nothing new. From Ted Bundy to Jeremy Meeks, violent men have created cult-like followings.

But Professor Tanya Holek, an expert on digital culture and true crime at Anglia Ruskin University, says social media has made these sentiments highly visible and helped spread them.

The internet has “blurred the line between celebrity and crime”, she told the BBC, adding that when people see good-looking people appearing on their feeds, the first thing they think of is moral criticism. He added that it's not about desire.

“The atmosphere around Luigi Mangione is 'thirst',” she says.

A big part of Mr. Mangione's online appeal, beyond his appearance, is his apparent anger at the private medical industry and corporate elites in general. US media reported that Mangione was arrested with a handwritten note that read, “The parasites have arrived.”

The hashtag #EatTheRich quickly spread after the shooting, according to the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), a New Jersey-based nonprofit extremism research group.

Since Mangione's arrest, variations of “#FreeLuigi” have been posted more than 50,000 times on X, likely garnering tens of millions of impressions. And by some measures, engagement with posts about Thompson's killing across platforms like X and Reddit exceeded engagement with the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July, according to NCRI.

An analysis of a sample of comments conducted by market research firm OneCliq found that the majority (four-fifths) contained criticism of the healthcare system.

Mangione's X account has gained more than 400,000 followers since the shooting.

The shooting also appears to have inspired others to take action against health insurance companies. “Wanted” posters of other CEOs have popped up around New York City, and a woman was arrested in Florida after telling an insurance agent on the phone: “Delay, Deny, Release. You.” Next comes the people,'' he said, alluding to the words engraved on the shell casings found at the murder scene.

NCRI senior adviser Alex Goldenberg said the online response was a “tipping point” and “a catalyst for the normalization of political violence that was once confined to fringe extremists.” Ta.

He compared the wave of comments to online activity following a racist mass murder. This activity, aimed at defending the murderers and agitating their beliefs, is only becoming more widespread and happening across mainstream social media networks.

“The activity we're observing is eerily similar to activity on platforms like 4chan, 8chan, Discord, and other dark corners of the internet where mass shootings are often greeted with jubilation. '' he said.

Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at the University of Notre Dame and an expert on social media and artificial intelligence, said there is evidence that the surge is real and not the result of bots or government influence operations. Ta.

“People are angry with the medical industry and are taking to social media to express their frustrations,” he said. “They are expressing their dissatisfaction by supporting this suspect.”

A recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund, a health policy organization, found that 45% of insured working-age adults have been charged for something they thought should be free or covered by their insurance. It was found that 17% of respondents said their insurance company denied coverage for care recommended by their physician.

There are signs that the shooting has prompted some introspection on the part of health care companies.

“We all need to take a step back and try to understand what's going on with our patients and their experience,” Caroline Rohn, Pfizer's chief sustainability officer, said at a conference in New York on Wednesday, according to Reuters. I think there are,” he said.

Even before online criticism of UHC took off, some people who had been protesting against health insurance companies for years understood some of the dark sentiments, even if they didn't support UHC. Some people are.

Jen Coffey, who has been fighting to get UHC to cover her medical costs, said of Thompson's murder: “This was a horrific act of violence and I absolutely condemn it, whatever the motive.” “But I'm not shocked by the reaction.”

Coffey, 53, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and later developed complex regional pain syndrome, a potentially debilitating neurological disease. When her doctor recommended she try ketamine therapy, she said her UHC insurance didn't cover the procedure. Since then, she has started participating in protests organized by the activist group People's Action.

Due to his illness, Coffey was forced to quit his job as an emergency medical technician. She started crowdfunding and said she had to sell most of her belongings to pay for her treatment herself.

Thanks to treatment, “I have regained some sense of normalcy. I can sit and paint and enjoy meals with my family,” she said. “I can live a life worth living.”

UnitedHealth Group told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons.

At the same time, much of the online discussion effectively ignores the victim, Brian Thompson, 50.

“It's incredibly dark that (Thompson's death) hasn't been reported as much, because at the end of the day, a person died, a person was killed,” Blakely Thornton said.

“The collective anger[against the medical industry]still outweighs the tragedy.”

In a previous post on LinkedIn, Thompson talked about efforts to make health care more affordable, but he came under fire in the comments. CBS News, the BBC's US partner, has obtained a message sent by UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Whitty to staff this week, paying tribute to Thompson and calling his slain colleague “a good man. “One of the people.”

“He was definitely one of the smartest guys. I think he was one of the best. I'll miss him and I'm very proud to call him a friend. ” he wrote.

In an email, the company shared a message from a customer who wrote about recovering from cancer and said the treatment was paid for with insurance company benefits.

According to the company, they wrote, “We are grateful for UHC and everyone there working to help as many people as possible amidst a broken system.”

Another message read: “So sad that this world is so full of hate. I've always had a great experience at UHC.”

Coffey, a UHC policyholder and patient, said: “I feel sorry for the family, but I can't imagine how much they are going through this (murder). This is what started this discussion. It's a terrible thing to be there,” he said. . ”

“I would have rather sat down and talked to him.”

With additional reporting from Grace Dean