Accused killer Luigi Mangione has become an unlikely cult figure, receiving tens of thousands in commissary funds and explicit fan mail while awaiting trial.
Accused murderer Luigi Mangione has reportedly received more than $40,000 in prison commissary deposits from supporters as he awaits trial for the 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The 27-year-old, currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, can allegedly spend up to $160 daily on snacks such as Nutella, sausage and jalapeno wheels. Jailhouse sources say he also receives up to 200 letters a day, many from female admirers, with one explicitly expressing a desire to “bug out on his d**k.”
Former President Donald Trump criticised the phenomenon, telling Fox News, “I’m watching the girls going crazy for him. This is a sickness. This really has to be studied.” Mangione has pleaded not guilty but recently secured a legal victory as a judge dismissed state terrorism charges, ruling the evidence “legally insufficient.” Prosecutors are still pursuing a federal firearms-related murder charge that could carry the death penalty.
Mangione’s supporters have branded him a symbol of healthcare reform, claiming he “took a bite out of corruption” by allegedly targeting Thompson. Lawyers for Mangione have asked for the federal charge to be dismissed, arguing that comments by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi calling the killing a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination” could prejudice the case.