The suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson is being called a folk hero by some people online.
The 26-year-old Maryland native is charged with second-degree murder in New York. He's currently in custody in Pennsylvania, where he faces charges unrelated to the alleged murder.
On social media, thousands of people have justified — or even cheered — Luigi Mangione's alleged actions amid a barrage of hate directed towards the health insurance industry.
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Amanda Vicary, a psychology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, says the support for Mangione shows people's larger frustration with the health care system.
"Almost everybody in America has some sort of health care horror story of claims that have been denied or something like that," Vicary said. "I think people feel like they can relate to (Mangione) and in some way, whether because they've dealt with their own issues or this is something they've secretly fantasized about doing, about fighting back with violence, but would never actually do it."
Rania Mankarious, the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, says that people frustrated with the health care system are justified, but that shouldn't greenlight violence.
"We've got to be able to have what I call an 'and and but' conversation," Mankarious said. "He felt like he was at his wits' end, and not just he, but many people in this country. ... But, it never warrants taking the life of another. So, is there a good discussion that needs to be had around health care? Absolutely. And I think universally we would all say, yes, it's time for that conversation. But ending one's life is never an option, no matter what the scenario looks like."
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Merchandise supporting Mangione appeared online on the sites of some retailers. On Etsy and eBay, clothing with "Free Luigi" and his picture were available, and there were more than 1,000 results on Etsy for "deny, defend, depose," the words written on ammunition used in the killing.
GoFundMe removed pages that aimed to raise money for Mangione's legal defense.
In a statement to Scripps News, GoFundMe said it prohibits fundraisers for legal defense of violent crimes and people who donated to them have been refunded.
An online fundraiser for Mangione on GiveSendGo, another crowdfunding website, claims to have raised over $31,000 for his legal defense.
"We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation," the fundraiser's organizers wrote.
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Mangione's defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, told CNN that his office has received offers to pay for his client's legal fees, but Dickey said it's unlikely they would accept the offers. Dickey said his client appreciates the support.
Vicary noted the infatuation with suspected criminals isn't new.
"We have seen this for a long time, probably hundreds of years, of people having this interest in criminals," she said.
Mankarious adds that interest in a crime also speaks to human nature.
"I think we just can't help it," Mankarious said. "There isn't really a high-profile case where we don't all stop and look and say, 'what's going on?' And certainly, it makes for interesting conversation, and that's something that we can't overlook. People want to talk about these things."
