It’s no secret that the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—allegedly by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione—unleashed a tide of rage against the deeply problematic US health care system. But according to a new poll, frustration with the industry is so serious that many Americans believe that Mangione wasn’t solely responsible for Thompson’s death, and that the insurance industry played a significant role.
To be clear, we’re not talking here about social media conspiracies about the shooting, such as those linking Luigi Mangione’s Pokemon of choice (Breloom, of course) with insurance claim denial codes. Pollsters at the nonpartisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago interviewed 1,001 adults between December 12-16, asking them first about their familiarity with the case. Of those, 39 percent said they had heard “a lot,” while an improbable 9 percent said they’d heard nothing at all.
Of those, about 8 in 10 said that they believed that Mangione had either “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” culpability in Thompson’s death, but 7 in 10 also believe that insurance company coverage denials, such as UnitedHealthcare’s AI-generated rejections—bear “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the homicide. Insurance company profits, such as UnitedHealth’s $371.6 billion in 2023, were also cited by respondents as responsible for the fatal shooting.
A protestor holds a sign outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on Dec. 23, 2024 in New York City. Luigi Mangione appeared for his arraignment on state murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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As expected, Mangione was extradited from a Pennsylvania jail on December 19, and was transported to New York to face charges of including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism. He appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to all charges. A crowd of protesters stood outside during the proceedings, many with signs bearing slogans critical of UnitedHealth and other large insurance companies, a scene that certainly underscores the sentiments of the poll-takers.
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group Inc. chief executive officer Brian Thompson, left, and Karen Friedman Agnifilo, attorney for Luigi Mangione, at New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York on Dec. 23, 2024.
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During the hearing, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo expressed concerns about Mangione’s ability to get a fair trial, citing his well-documented arrival in New York. “He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest-staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career,” the former prosecutor said. “It was absolutely unnecessary. He’s been cooperative with law enforcement. He had been in custody for over a week. He waived extradition.”
“He’s not a symbol. He’s somebody who’s afforded the right to a fair trial. He’s innocent until proven guilty. And the mayor was talking to jurors, future potential jurors. Those are the people that elected him that he is talking to, and calling this man a terrorist … I just want to make a record of this and put everyone on notice that this has to stop, and my client is entitled to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.”
As he awaits trial, Mangione is expected to remain at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the same jail holding Sean “Diddy” Combs and many other suspects during court proceedings. According to experts who spoke with Gothamist, Mangione is likely a resident of “a 21-person special unit called Four-N,” where he remains separated from the general population. He is expected to return to court on February 21, 2025.
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