’Society is sick’: Insane internet reaction to alleged killer Luigi Mangione

Suspected killer Luigi Mangione’s arrest evoked a frenzied response on social media – but not for the reason you might think.

The arrest of Luigi Mangione, suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, evoked a frenzied response on social media – but not for the reason you might think.

After news broke that the 26-year-old had been taken into custody, the attention of the internet swiftly fixated on Mangione’s physical appearance.

The former Ivy League student is suspected of brutally executing the married father-of-two in cold blood in the street outside a Hilton hotel.

However, the horrific nature of Mangione’s alleged crime was irrelevant to many deranged X users who declared “he’s hot as s**t you must acquit”.

The insurance industry in the US has blasted the language being used online to celebrate the death of Mr Thompson and to glorify his alleged killer based on his appearance as “unacceptable”.

“FREE HIM” began trending worldwide on X, while Mangione was disturbingly dubbed “America’s sweetheart” by some.

“New workout goal is to have a body where after I commit a crime, the media posts my shirtless pics and everyone’s like WOW,” one user said.

Luigi Mangione, 26, in a police mugshot taken Monday, hours after his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald's. Picture: Altoona PD

“Your honour, my client luigi mangione is innocent,” another quipped.

“He was just demonstrating the true power of having ‘looks (that) could kill’. The only thing criminal is his bone structure.”

One user, who shared a photo of Mangione while masked at Starbucks prior to the shooting, captioned it: “there’s a real chance he’s hot.”

“Told you,” the same person wrote today, when images of Mangione’s whole face emerged.

The arrest of Luigi Mangione, who is suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, evoked a frenzied response on social media – but not for the reason you might think. Picture: X

The violent and serious nature of Mangione’s alleged crime was irrelevant, X users declared. Picture: X

The reaction over on Instagram was no less deranged.

“Make him the next bachelor,” one person commented under the announcement of Mangione’s arrest on news account @sainthoax.

“I will be visiting him in prison,” another said, to which another responded: “The amount of prison mail he’s about to get …”

“Who cares if he did it! Is he single?” a third wrote.

Some on social media have hit back at the language being used.

“If Luigi Mangione wasn’t attractive nobody on social media would care and in fact would condemn him for the murder instead of praising him,” one person wrote.

“I hate how social media has made people so desensitised they think this type of stuff is ok,” another said.

“Society is just sick and social media shows it,” another added.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said that some of the “attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing as some have looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer”.

“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Picture: Hannah Beier/Getty Images/AFP

Mangione was arrested on Monday local time in Altoona, Pennsylvania after a week-long manhunt.

He allegedly had a “handwritten” note in his possession when he was taken into custody by authorities as well as a gun, silencer, four fake IDs and other items “consistent” with what authorities were looking for in the case, The New York Post reported.

“These parasites had it coming,” the two-page document read, according to CNN.

“I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”

Reports have emerged claiming Mangione hated the medical community because of how it treated a sick relative.

While the manifesto spoke to the motivation behind Mangione’s alleged crime, New York Police Department chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said authorities “don’t think that there is any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document”.

The document suggested he had “ill will towards corporate America”.

Luigi Mangione, 26. Picture: X

Police have taken Mangione into custody. Picture: Luigi Mangione/Facebook

Since Mr Thompson’s death there has been frustration piled on health insurance companies in the US, by angry citizens. Some have even gone as far as to celebrate the CEO’s death.

The insurance industry has hit back at some of the language being used.

“The people in our industry are mission-driven professionals working to make coverage and care as affordable as possible and to help people navigate the complex medical system,” said Michael Tuffin, the president of AHIP, a major trade group, on LinkedIn.

“We condemn any suggestion that threats against our colleagues — or anyone else in our country — are ever acceptable.”