He Shot a CEO in Broad Daylight. Then Half of America Cheered. — The Luigi Mangione Case

On the morning of December 4th, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a Manhattan hotel while walking to a conference. The shooter disappeared into Central Park. What happened next was unlike anything seen after a murder — a significant portion of the internet celebrated the killing, and the shooter became a folk hero before anyone knew his name. His name was Luigi Mangione. 26 years old, from a wealthy Maryland family, a University of Pennsylvania graduate with no criminal record. He was found five days later in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s with a ghost gun, a fake ID, and a handwritten manifesto describing the American health insurance industry as parasitic. He faces federal charges that could carry the death penalty. His trial is still ahead. This is the full story.