On December 4th, 2024, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Five days later, Luigi Mangioine was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being on the run for nearly a week. Since then, the media has been a mix of opinions on the matter. Some believe that the murder was justified, while others think that it was not.
Mangione was an Ivy League college graduate. Though there’s no apparent motive for why he killed Thompson, there are theories as to whether his reasoning was political, personal, or both. After his arrest on December 9th, he was held in the custody of a Pennsylvania jail before being transported to New York for his trial.
The opinion on whether or not Mangioine was justified remains controversial. Laurel Cowgill (12) feels that Luigi Mangione’s killing of the CEO was unjustified from the knowledge she has. “As a society, we never condone murder, and that is exactly what Luigi did to the CEO. He did it out of anger at the CEO for not taking care of Americans well enough. However, this isn’t something that should be condoned. A line must be drawn between what is moral and what is not, and arguing that shooting a man in the back on the streets is okay opens the floodgates for future arguments.”
Ben Phan (10) understands where he is coming from, though he does not condone murder. However, he also does not think this is a one-time thing. “CEOs have been a target for a while, and I suspect this will probably spark tons of hate for CEOs, possibly leading to more dramatic events.”
Miranda Brodie (12) says that although she doesn’t think the killing was justified, Mangione does. She also adds that she thinks this killing was a part of something bigger but doesn’t know if it will be able to take place anymore.
Social media has been vocal in sharing their own opinions on the matter. One side of it is grieving for the lost life, another is breaking down conspiracy theories. However, the majority of posts are centered around memes concerning Mangione’s looks and defending his involvement in the murder. While some find the situation to be entertaining, others believe it is inappropriate for the internet to react the way it did.
Social media has a tremendous impact on our society today, and the people on it have not been shy in sharing their opinions on the matter. Laurel says, “the memes are funny, but I can’t say they are right because I know I wouldn’t appreciate memes about the passing of someone I genuinely cared about. The people on social media are thirsting over Luigi and making videos about how he should be free; I feel we are no better than those thirsting over serial killers.” Ben Phan also does not believe the reaction of social media has been inappropriate, though he also adds that it rarely is.
On December 17th, Luigi Mangione was charged with a total of 11 counts. This includes murder in the first degree as a crime of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon and fake ID. He will appear in court next on December 19th for charges of possession of a gun as well as a fake ID.
