On December 23, Luigi Mangione appeared in person at the New York State Supreme Court for his arraignment. He pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charges for the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He already has at least one heavy-hitter defense lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who appeared in court with Luigi at his arraignment. She already put the NYPD on blast for the over-the-top perp walk last week, which looked more like some melodramatic scene from a copaganda movie. She name-checked NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams too, who is (like Luigi) under indictment.
I try not to spend too much time on social media during the holidays but even I am aware that Luigi’s arraignment caused a large-scale commotion. People were analyzing his clothes – a burgundy sweater (from Nordstrom), button-down shirt and khakis – and his overall styling and grooming. During his perp walk, people noticed that Luigi had seemingly gotten a fresh shave, a fade haircut and someone had groomed his eyebrows, all while he was in custody in a Pennsylvania prison. He looked similarly well-groomed in court this week. Some suggest that this is the way prisoners from Pennsylvania to New York are showing that Luigi is being protected and cared for while in custody. That being said, I don’t think they’re giving him facials. I think he just has great skin and he’s extremely photogenic.
Speaking of Luigi serving FACE, there is obviously a growing contingent of Luigi Mangione supporters. Per ABC News, at Luigi’s arraignment, “about two dozen women, who waited in line in the frigid cold for public seats in the courtroom gallery, said they were there to support Mangione. Most of the women wore face masks and a few appeared visibly emotional as Mangione entered the courtroom.” I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like this in my lifetime – like, the lionization of an accused murderer on a national scale. The babygirlification of a guy accused of murking a CEO.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
There is also a media propaganda to regard the support he is getting as women liking a criminal. That is why they are underlining the women who watched the trial, but no comment on how many men came to see him. I saw protestors outside the court, both men and women supporting him. But, it is only silly girls liking a handsome criminal according to the media.
His lawyer is also on point. The media and the police are already treating him like a criminal, even though he has the right to get a fair trial. The mayor who was doing the photo op is enjoying the “innocent until proven guilty” for his own alleged crimes. I don’t know how he is gonna get a fair trial under these circumstances. Look at the police officers watching him without a blink during the hearing. I didn’t see them doing that to the serial killers, the school shooters or the serial rapists.
I noticed an EXPLOSION of sexist comments of exactly that nature on pop culture reddit. Comparing supporters to women who love Ted Bundy etc and wilfully ignoring the sociocultural context (anti systemic exploitation of the working and middle class) of the support he’s getting. It was actually shocking.
It’s going to get fucking messy and whatever disgusting things emerge that they try to make stick to this guy, I’m still going to believe that healthcare CEOs are more dangerous to society.
Thanks for pointing out the male protestors. I immediately thought what the reports implied, ‘sick lonely women falling for criminals’. When is sounds like the reality is very different.
Exactly @sevenblelue. The billionaire CEO class are scared. Propaganda always starts with trying to discredit the BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ2S+ populations. This guy has been lionized because he’s a symbol of what Kennedy said. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” Next step is the “let them eat cake” “please don’t have a revolution”. I really do hope this doesn’t turn into a violent revolution, but with Trump and Elon and Bezos and all the project 2025, I don’t know folks, has history gone any different/better way?
Can you Hear the People Sing?
Singing the songs of Angry Men?
one thing this proves, is that we never learn from the past mistakes…..
Leon and Jeff should be scared too.
There are only three elements in this case: the murder, the motive, and Luigi’s supporters. The first two are for a jury to decide. As for his supporters, not one article has been written about him that didn’t mention his ‘good looks’. I’m not sure how pointing out that his supporters/fans find him attractive is negative propaganda. Before being identified, the lone assassin was quickly branded a hero for his take on UHC. Since then, he’s become a poster child of cute boy privilege.
Remarks about his good looks just seems to be an observation everyone has made, including the media themselves.
The fact that some people like Megyn Kelly are pressed about it is kind of funny to me.
@Klara, it is negative propaganda because it reduces the support he is getting to his looks, so they don’t have to talk about why he is supported. If this guy did some other crime, he wouldn’t get the same support. It is about why he did allegedly that the media seems not to be able to discuss. Like I said, there are also men supporting him, but they don’t emphasize that.
@sevenblue.. now I get your point. While I agree that this case presents an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the horrendous state of health insurance, from a defense standpoint the farther they keep Luigi from the issue, the better their chances of acquittal. This is a murder charge and if the focus is on UHC, the deep pockets of the organization will throw everything they have at Luigi.
Yeah, I didn’t see mayor Adams personally perp walk the guy who lit a woman on fire on the subway.
Finding a jury in NYC is going to be next to impossible. A lot of people here either work in healthcare (either as a provider or on the administrative/business side) or have horror stories about the insurance industry (or both). The prosecutors are going to be worried about jury nullification.
More “good luck” with also finding a jury after they added “terrorism” to the charges. Terrorism… in NYC…terrorism in a place where planes flew into buildings , people lit on fire on the subway, muggings are not uncommon; terrorism where a man can die by police hands for selling loose cigarettes.
Terrorism because ONE dude, in the early pre dawn hours , shot another dude outside on the sidewalk (and didn’t hurt or threaten anyone else)……yet, you’re gonna get a NY jury to convict on terrorism……..sure, have fun!
I agree! The DA overcharged him in an effort to make a statement. I think it’s going to backfire on them significantly.
I’m glad his lawyer went in on law enforcement for their bull and spectacle.
Murder is wrong but he is innocent until proven guilty and also NY State and the Feds have overplayed their hand. This is, overkill. Terrorism charges? Both state and Federal charges? Ridiculous.
Way to prove of us all right, by showing without shame that there are indeed two justice systems and they are very different.
I thought the taxpayers, paid the salaries of the NYPD and the federal lawyers. Way to absolutely prove it’s corporate executives.
Seriously, everyone needs to get a grip about this guy. The reason he was allowed to appear in court looking like a movie star instead of a disheveled assassin, which is what he allegedly is, is because his family is extremely wealthy and acquired most of their wealth ripping off elderly residents of their “nursing homes” which are in fact dumps where care is minimal to non-existent. He’s a very poor role model for health care access. And he’s an even poorer example of how most prisoners are treated in the system. 2024 has been the worst year, not least of all because of all this. So happy for him that he can afford the best lawyers that money can buy. Now give a thought to those that can’t.
I don’t think he was “allowed” to look like a movie star. I think he just naturally looks like that without trying. He has good genes and a good physique.
Other prisoners have probably been advised to and shown up to a court hearing looking presentable but they don’t have his face and photogenic looks (CNN kept showing zoomed in photographs for some reason).
Even if you allowed him to remain in an orange jumpsuit, he’d still look good. It is what it is.
I guess the NYPD underestimated he photographs well because they could just pull the cameras from the courtroom and his perp walks but I’m beginning to think maybe they’re infatuated with how he looks too. I was dying 🤣when CNN kept showing closeup photographs. This man photographs incredibly well.
He was professionally groomed and styled. How many arraignments have you ever seen before in which this was the case? Nothing to do with looks. Everything to do with white male privilege and wealth.
Most arraignments aren’t aired on CNN for me to have such easy access to them. My guess is that kind of full-on and somewhat weird access could give some leeway to a defense attorney to make certain requests to advocate for the client. I likely haven’t seen many arraignments involving less high profile cases.
However, from what I’ve seen of crime documentaries most prisoners do seem to be advised to look a certain way in front of the judge.
Granted OJ Simpson was rich, but his arraignment is on YouTube, and he doesn’t look dressed badly….not sure if the cameras affect things, but the prisoners put in front of the cameras for all the world to see, as opposed to a closed court, don’t look dressed shabbily.
Just looked up the dress code for an arraignment on Google, and apparently the way Luigi Mangione was dressed and styled seems standard. Doesn’t look like you’re supposed to show up in regular prison wear…
Kind of seems like there might be a required dress code of some kind for these things.
I work on long-term care policy, no not for a nursing home but in a related field. Not all nursing homes are terrible, although some definitely are. Certainly we’d all prefer to age at home, but that’s not always possible if you need a doctor down the hall who can come at a moment’s notice, or if there’s nobody at home who can lift you. Nursing homes are just the last stop in a broken, underfunded system that tries to push all the work on unpaid family caregivers until they can’t anymore. We’d need to know more about his parents’ nursing home before we could say anything about whether it’s an ok aging-in-place set-up or a Medicaid hellhole.
How is he at fault for how his family is running a nursing home? He seemed estranged from them for the last half a year when he went bonkers. And I can imagine right now he’s not in their good graces.
For all we know, his experience there could have shaped his view of the health insurance companies as well, seeing the unfairness of the whole system towards the common man.
He’s not in the family business. His own mom was looking for him since his family lost contact with him, seems more like he was rebelling against his family too.
@brassy rebel just as you pointed out to me the other day that both things can be true in terms of Blake Lively (to which I reply: I thought that was obvious), I would say the same applies here.
Interesting how you want to shame people for not being “brave” enough to stick around after the latest election and insist we all stick around to “fight”, and then this guy does just that and you want to shame us all for supporting him.
I’ve tried hard to be respectful of you and there are times I’ve even agreed with you. I think you’re intelligent.
The problem is you seem to think you’re the only one who is. Please stop lecturing and bullying others here. You can start by no longer replying to my comments on this site overall, because I am tired of feeling unwelcome by you here. Thank you.
He’s photogenic for sure. But other than the excessive security during his perp walk, there’s no evidence that he’s being unfairly treated. In fact, based on his appearance alone it seems he’s being treated better than the average suspect. A Nordstrom merino wool sweater in a flattering color? I’ll take six.
Exactly.
Not unfairly treated? The mainstream media, NYPD, DA, and federal government are treating him as if he has already been convicted. It has been reported that insurance companies and its CEOs responded to the social media celebrity of Luigi Mangione by forcing the DOJ to bring federal charges – and that is why the feds charged him to make an example of him because they fear copycats. And a terrorism charge from the state? Where were the terrorism charges brought against the insurrectionists who attacked on January 6th, or the numerous school/mass shooters we see every day? In NY the other day, there was a guy who set fire to a woman sleeping on the subway – people stared and filmed on their phones, cops walked right by her, and the guy who set her on fire watched from a bench. Will HE get terrorism charges, and a perp walk like Luigi? No, he won’t because he didn’t allegedly kill a wealthy CEO. It’s a two-tiered justice system, period.
Not unfairly treated? When was the last time we saw cops breathing down the neck of a defendant during a court appearance. What happened to privacy? Those cops could see everything he or his attorney writes down.
The DA and the police are playing stupid games that could lead to a mistrial.
Good on Luigi for ignoring those cops posturing and trying to intimidate
In most states prisoners are required to wear civilian clothing in court. He is not wearing anything glam, just tidy and presentable. He just happens to be one of those people who naturally always looks “together.” Some people are like that. I know that because i’m one of them, and even when I feel miserable and like a total slob people always comment about how “well-groomed” I am. It’s a double edged sword because then people don’t notice when I’m really suffering, ro believe me when I outright say that I’m in trouble. Mangione has a chronic pain condition with his spine, and I imagine he is really suffering right now, despite his charismatic looks. Highly doubt the prison is giving him a nice mattress and spa days, ffs
Yeah, I’m a bit surprised his clothes are considered that glamorous.
He’s wearing a sweater over a shirt with pants. That seems like a standard outfit for a guy. And guys in general, if they’re somewhat tall and lean and not dorky like Elon Musk, look good even in the simplest of outfits.
His mannerisms are probably what elevate what he’s wearing but he looks like he’s simply dressed respectfully to meet a judge.
The serving face comment is making me uncomfortable. I agree that Luigi is amazingly photogenic, but I would much rather the focus leave his looks alone. He planned out and followed through on an assassination, which shows some nasty mental health issues. It’s understandable what might have caused him to snap, but Hochul (CEO terroism hotline), Eric Adams (what indictment, look over there!), many in the media (no empathy for white collar criminals), and healthcare (we only earned 3-6% profit and the guy killed was much more humane than most), et al are trying to keep the focus not on a dysfunctional healthcare system, but trying to create Luigi into a supervillain. NY and the feds have gone all out, and changing the narrative to influence the public to abandon their gripes with healthcare is wrong. Personally, he belongs behind bars IF he can be tried fairly, AND he definitely needs mental help.
Healthcare isn’t on trial and how the public feels about insurance policy denials will have no bearing on the allegations against Luigi. If this case goes to trial, one thing you absolutely won’t hear is the defense using UHC’s unscrupulous
practices as a justifiable motive for homicide.
Which is why all the “squirrel!” articles about his fangirls. Besides Luigi (and he deserves jail if he did it and mental health help) we need to put the health care system on trial, but media’s corporate owners don’t want that.
Klara, why wouldn’t UHCs practices be discussed? Is the court so biased that they won’t allow discussing his motive?
@Nanny. It is only assumed that his motive was UHC and how they operate. If this is the angle defense takes, exactly how many examples of customers being denied coverage are needed to convince a jury that Luigi is not guilty? More to the point, how transparent do you think UHC is going to be?
I don’t think revolutionary actions necessarily equal mental health issues. I’d say anyone denying life saving treatment in order to boost profit needs mental health help.
The media seems to have forgotten the support that the shooter was given PRIOR to a face ever being put to the actions.
Luigi has hardly said ANYTHING. Now articles are being skewed that the support is misplaced bc of affluence.
Yes, It is very helpful that he is good looking and good for him… but I hope that every day people realizing how upper class are sh*tting their pants with the way this has woken people up to the fact that denying 1/3 of claims is the same as killing many people every day.
Every photo of him looks like a medieval painting. Will be interesting to see if he testifies in his own defense and if he has charisma to match his looks.
I don’t think he is mentally ill. He’s a calculating assassin who has a legitimate cause with which most of the public agrees, and this was his method of supporting thecause. It’s not the method that most of us would choose to combat the issues with insurance coverage of healthcare, but it doesn’t mean he has a mental illness.
Interesting take. Something to follow as the case proceeds.
Seems like he was popular before his face was even shown.
But even if you point out that he’s objectively good-looking, it’s just making an observation. People seem to be conflating that with a moral or ethical judgment. It’s just an observation and I don’t think you’d be able to discern someone’s moral compass from simply noticing his looks are not what we’d expect. Most are probably wondering why he’d give up his, possibly charmed, life for the difficulty of what lies ahead for him instead. Others are probably wondering why the NYC mayor is bad at PR or why the media keeps showing his best angles.
The visual coverage of Luigi is flattering because let’s face it, people want to see someone attractive. Criminals come in all stripes but they generally don’t have an aesthetic that’s tv ready. Unlike celebrities on trial, Luigi is an unknown quantity that we can creative an entire ɓackstory for, based on the most superficial details. Unless the attention shifts back to the UHC CEO, the issue of health insurance will get lost.
I was just shocked they livestreamed his hearing. You so rarely get cameras in NYC courtrooms. That tells me they want maximum exposure for his arrest and I assume eventual conviction. I also think the feds will go for DP.
I also thought it was interesting that someone had listed all the school shooters with massive body counts. All getting life sentences.
But kill one CEO then it’s the Feds hopping up to get the death penalty. Just another reminder. The Gov’t works for the elite. Not for you.
You’ve made some great points. They may try for the DP but I am not sure a jury would go for that – unless the healthcare goons find a way to taint the jury with wealthy executives. I live not too far from the area & I actually would not try to get out of jury service for this case.
I was thinking the same. I wouldn’t really care that much about this specific murder but by God are they overreacting. They should charge him and convict him and jail him for life and be done with it. But with this show they’re pulling, “making an example” because he dared to shoot somebody of the upper class, a villain nonetheless, I hope he walks. He won’t, but I can hope.
I saw several TikTokers who were there and said the ms media representation of the people who showed up was quite false and clearly propaganda.
Propaganda for who? I’m not understanding how people are viewing coverage of Luigi’s supporters.
Propaganda from the state that diminishes the support he’s receiving to just fangirls with a crush.
If it was accurately reported, it would describe the size and makeup of the crowds appearing outside (which includes men and women of all ages) and the signs they are holding up (which have healthcare death statistics rather than ratings of Luigi’s looks).
I’m obviously in the minority, but I don’t think he is good looking, and his constant posing for the camera makes him even less attractive. That photo in the hostel where he was smiling did look cute; then when I saw full face (many opportunities to do that!) I was surprised that he was, in fact, ordinary looking.
There’s no babygirlification of Luigi. No one thinks he’s sad and pathetic.
That’s the face that looks back at him in the mirror. He can’t help that no more that JFKJr or anyone else we think is good looking can help how they look
Legally, this trial is going to be of major significance for Americans. 1) If the DOJ was pressured to bring LM up on federal charges by the health insurance industry, that should be a serious wake-up call to all Americans that our rights are literally for sale. Anyone can accuse you of anything in this country. By definition, there is a big difference between terrorism and Murder 1 in NY state. Applying a terrorism charge to this case so that LM can be held in federal prison and be tried in a federal court is legally outrageous.
2) If the judge overseeing these pre-trial hearings (and later on, if the trial judge) has a significant financial investment that is impacted by the volatility of the health insurance industry, it is a clear-cut conflict of interest. Hon. Katharine Parker owns hundreds of thousands of dollars in Pfizer. As Americans we need to ask ourselves if appointed and elected judges have any business whatsoever owning stock if there’s a chance it may influence their just application of the law.
Yeah, Luigi is cute. But whether he is guilty of the charges brought against him or not, these issues matter.
🎯
I find him too arrogant and entitled to be remotely attractive
If he wasn’t arrogant, he couldn’t have assassinated a millionaire in broad daylight in the middle of NYC.
Is it really all that surprising that Luigi has fangirls? I mean, overall the American public views him pretty favorably. Even absolute monsters like Ted Bundy still has some walking among us and he was executed almost 40 years ago.
People in charge are just pissed the murder of a white rich CEO is not causing the shocking sad reaction that it’s supposed to. Yes the masses hate rich CEOs, especially if they’re private health insurance CEOs. And on top of that, the alleged murderer ended up being young and good looking. Bonus points for him.
I definitely think he needs mental help and I don’t think the solution to America’s privitized health care is murdering everyone. But I also don’t think he’s a terrorist who needs to be executed so fingers crossed he gets a lenient sentence.