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What social media is getting wrong about Luigi Mangione: the real reason why he is being worshipped

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Disclaimer: I want to make it crystal clear that the tone of this blog is informal, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take the crimes I write about seriously. I absolutely do not condone the actions of any perpetrators discussed here. When I delve into their pasts, my goal is to paint a bigger picture—not to excuse or justify their actions, but to explain them.


So, I know I said I was going to write about the Menendez brothers, and I will, but it’s not my fault the universe has granted us the most internationally flabbergasting murder story we’ve had in a long time. I’ve felt the need to cover the most recent events about this case because everything is happening too quickly, and the internet is basically a non-stop news generator.

If you don’t live under a rock, I’m sure you know who Luigi Mangione, the overnight apparent “celebrity,” is. But for the small percentage of people who don’t know—don’t worry, *looks at notes*, I have an introduction!   


The murder + The aftermath


Luigi Mangione, born on May 6, 1998, is the main suspect in the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the public healthcare company UnitedHealthCare, which took place this past December 4. The CEO was walking down Sixth Avenue in NYC toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel when he was shot by Luigi Mangione several times. The first shot was aimed at his leg—seemingly at his left calf—possibly with the purpose of disabling his ability to run before firing his next shot at his back. Luigi approached Brian from behind and fled the scene into an alley before anyone had the chance to stop him. The incident was captured on CCTV footage.

There were many rumors circulating the internet about what happened next. Some say Luigi went into a Starbucks after the murder, while others say it happened before. What we do know is that a couple of days after the news broke, and after a (never given) $10,000 reward was announced for anyone who could provide any type of information to the authorities, a McDonald's worker came forward with some allegations: he had encountered a suspicious guy who matched the murderer’s description in the establishment where he worked. This was one of the first, if not the only, advances in the case. And just like that, that man's identity—Luigi Mangione—was publicly revealed, and the worshipping began soon after.

Sample Picture

Alleged photo of Luigi Mangione. CCTV footage.


The arrest


So, obviously, as one would expect, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after the authorities confirmed it was most likely him shown in the CCTV footage, and he was taken into custody. During this intervention, Luigi was in possession of a firearm, which was considered extremely suspicious to those who still didn’t believe Luigi was the perpetrator, while it served as definite confirmation to those who were leaning toward believing he was the one who carried out the murder. In addition, he also (allegedly) had a handwritten note on him that read as follows:

"I do apologize for any strife or trauma, but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites had it coming."

Do I believe that this note was found and written by Luigi? No, not necessarily. The press has been very ambiguous about when, where, and how this letter was supposedly found, and I can't help but be suspicious about what actually happened and if this so-called "manifesto" is even real. But, in all honesty, it’s all we have at the moment, and it will have to suffice.


Luigi, the public hero


Right after Luigi's identity went public, social media made their stance clear: Luigi Mangione was a hero of the people, of the working-class community, and his actions shouldn’t be punished as he was just serving justice. And to that, I say, justice isn't exactly made from behind, hooded, face covered. Justice doesn't look like slow-burned violence in which a shot is fired solely for the purpose of enabling a physical capacity. And yes, Brian Thompson wasn't a saint. He was probably responsible for denying medical care to dozens of people whose lives were potentially lost, as he was the CEO of a powerful private healthcare company, but a public execution with a firearm targeted from the back shouldn't be condoned, celebrated, or worshipped. But then, why is it the case?

The answer to that is simple, much more than we realise. The reality is that it's not Luigi people are heroifying, not even his actions, it's what he represents. In a world of cruelty, of death, of no access to public healthcare, the person who dares to stand up, to be loud, to refuse to stay silent, is the one who's looked up to. Luigi Mangione could be anyone else—it could be a single mother of three, a middle-aged man in a happy marriage, a troubled teenager—and people will still praise him, because it's not actually him they are praising, it's the embodiment of values such as non-conformism, leadership, and fearlessness that people crave but don’t dare pursue because of fear. When Luigi raised his gun at Brian Thompson and pulled the trigger, he wasn't just killing a man, he was destroying the carefully constructed order that the high, powerful class has been building for decades in the US. He was not only making people realise that they were miserable, but he was proving that they didn’t need to be anymore.

This reminds me of a popular quote from the movie A Bug's Life (1998):

"You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up! Those puny little ants outnumber us a hundred to one and if they ever figure that out there goes our way of life! It's not about food, it's about keeping those ants in line."

The thing about hierarchy is that people are unaware that others are experiencing the same struggles, so they do nothing to change things—until someone, a single person, does. This person is glorified by the rest because they represent what others couldn't do or be, and what they wish to be. And when that happens, a domino effect occurs, where everyone stands up and goes feral. Order is distorted and disrupted, and control can't be regained. This is a common human phenomenon, and it’s made its presence known thousands of times in history before.

In the film Les Misérables (2012), this can be seen during Do You Hear The People Sing?, where everyone prefers keeping their head down during a reign of tyranny out of fear, but when one person dares to rebel against the system, they all follow along. Because it's not everyone who dares to be a leader, but most who see themselves as followers. And perhaps that’s what Luigi is to the people—not a hero, but a leader.

The one who decided to speak out, even if it was in the form of violence. People don't see Luigi Mangione as a person; they see him as a symbol. A symbol of what they could have been but never will.

And maybe, hopefully, this is the start of more bravery. Maybe, after this, those in powerful spheres will finally understand that people are not fooling around anymore, that people are angry, frustrated, and most importantly, they are together. Now more than ever.


The movement


Unfortunately, but predictably, people have somewhat decided to follow Luigi's footsteps, reinforcing my argument of "when one rebels, the rest follow," as a woman has recently been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism for repeating the words Luigi engraved on the bullets he used to commit the murder: "Delay, deny, depose, you people are next." The judge set her bond at $100,000. This proves that people will be more and more reckless from this point forward, and authorities KNOW this, which is why they are charging such an absurd amount of money for the most ridiculous charges ever (because no one has ever been charged such a sum of money just for being verbally aggressive, and even less with "act of terrorism") to anyone who supports Luigi publicly. Because, as Luigi himself did first, they are making a point: if you follow him, you'll be punished, so stay in line—and let me tell you, the message has gotten across pretty exceptionally. That people will obey? Now, that's another story.


Luigi's motivation


Even with all the information I have seen about Luigi online, I haven't seen many people talk about Luigi's motivation behind the murder. We need to remember that Luigi is an Ivy League alum, valedictorian, who earned both undergrad and grad degrees, so he's far from idiotic. It was obviously a very premeditated murder, which most likely means it must have been a personal matter. Maybe not with Brian Thompson himself, but certainly with his company or the healthcare system in general.

So, what exactly drove Luigi to commit this murder?

Well, he obviously hasn't confirmed anything (yet), but here goes my theory. His friends admitted they had lost touch with him approximately 6 months before the murder when he underwent back surgery, as he suffered from chronic pain due to a misalignment in his spine. It's possible he had some type of conflict with the healthcare system or insurance, most likely a recurrent conflict, as murder is not something people do as a first measure, that made him spiral into doing what he did. Again, we do not have a confirmed motive—this is just speculation based on what we know about Luigi before the crime occurred.

“My understanding is his spine was misaligned. It wasn’t like he was always in severe pain, but it seemed like certain things would trigger it.”


Luigi's court plead + possible sentences


So, fast forward to like— two days ago, Luigi showed up to court and pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges of murder and terrorism in New York state. This, for those who don’t know, means that he refused to take accountability and that authorities must find something that links Luigi directly to the murder if they want to convict him, other than the "resemblance" to the CCTV footage and suspicious behavior afterward, such as having a gun on him. The perpetrator of the crime was hooded, so from that alone, it's impossible to tell if it was really Luigi.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Luigi presumably committed the murder with a modified firearm. That, along with the 11 charges of murder and terrorism, could make Luigi eligible for the death penalty. Which is insane, to say the least. For reference, not even school shooters get the death penalty, and in proportion, they kill more than just one person, which makes the terrorism charge disproportionate in my opinion. Terrorism is defined as "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims." Luigi's aim wasn’t political, and even if it was, the crime wasn’t targeted against civilians—it was targeted against A civilian.

Now, people can argue that he’s being charged with such charges because the murder was an act of furtherance of terrorism, meaning it inspires terrorism even if it's not an oct of terrorism in itself. I considered this... speculative, to be honest. I'm not an expert in this field by any means, but if something may inspire terrorism in the future, may those who really act on it be punished, not the one who has supposedly inspired it—mainly because no one can really say with 100% certainty that it will even happen in the future at all.

Going back to my first point, not even school shooters are charged with terrorism, and if anything, those are the ones who inspire terrorism the most, as they are murdering sometimes hundreds of people at once. If that doesn’t fit the definition of terrorism, I don’t know what does.

But enough of that. If Luigi is not charged with the death penalty or the prosecution doesn’t even pursue it in the first place, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of all 11 counts. Only time will tell if this happens or not.

Also, fun fact! Luigi and P. Diddy are in the same Brooklyn prison, and their defense attorneys, Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, are married. This is such a unique coincidence and honestly pretty comical given the circumstances.

In addition, it seems Luigi attempted to address the public on his way to the extradition hearing. Various users have tried to decipher his words, and most have landed on this interpretation: "It's completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and life experience."



Finally, no family members were in court in support of Luigi when he pleaded not guilty, but that doesn’t mean he lacked support, as many young people, especially women, decided to be present during the court hearing. I don’t think this was a surprise to anyone, really.

ᝰ.ᐟ

That's it! Or for now, at least. This case is very much still open, and the "hype" on social media doesn't seem to be fading anytime soon, especially as new photos of Luigi keep dropping almost every day, and people are reacting exactly as you would expect. These are some of those photos:
Image 1 Image 2
Image 3 Image 4

This whole case has been quite a ride, and there are a lot of controversial opinions out there. Regardless of yours, feel free to comment below. I'd absolutely love to read it! :)

As always, all the resources used will be linked below. Keep in mind that there are some things I haven’t included, and some things I’ve added on my own accord.

Moreover, this post contains just my opinion, and it shouldn't be treated as facts by any means. This is a blog, at the end of the day, not a newspaper.

Until next time! ^^

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