The death penalty should be off the table for Luigi Mangione, accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. And not for any reason sympathetic to Mangione.
Attaching the death penalty to Mangione’s trial would only make a martyr out of an accused killer who has already inspired zealous support among legions of fans.
Ever since Mangione allegedly gunned down Thompson in a December dawn ambush in New York, the 26-year-old was refashioned into a modern-day hero by those angry with health care in America, and the health insurance industry in particular.
After his eventual arrest in an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s, spurred by a tip from a worker who recognized Mangione, the restaurant was swamped with negative reviews and had to hire private security to protect workers, Newsweek reported.
His legal defense fund has raised over $722,000 as of this month, according to the New York Post.