{"id":821631,"date":"2025-01-21T10:11:57","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/luigi-mangione-isnt-solely-responsible-for-unitedhealthcare-ceos-death-poll-respondents-claim\/"},"modified":"2025-01-21T10:11:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:11:57","slug":"luigi-mangione-isnt-solely-responsible-for-unitedhealthcare-ceos-death-poll-respondents-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/luigi-mangione-isnt-solely-responsible-for-unitedhealthcare-ceos-death-poll-respondents-claim\/","title":{"rendered":"Luigi Mangione Isn\u2019t Solely Responsible For UnitedHealthcare CEO\u2019s Death, Poll Respondents Claim"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s no secret that the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson<\/a>\u2014allegedly by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione<\/strong>\u2014unleashed a tide of rage<\/a> against the deeply problematic US health care<\/a> system. But according to a new poll, frustration with the industry is so serious that many Americans believe that Mangione wasn\u2019t solely responsible for Thompson\u2019s death, and that the insurance industry played a significant role.<\/p>\n

To be clear, we\u2019re not talking here about social media conspiracies about the shooting, such as those linking<\/a> Luigi Mangione\u2019s Pokemon of choice (Breloom, of course) with insurance claim denial codes. Pollsters at the nonpartisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago<\/a> 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 \u201ca lot,\u201d while an improbable 9 percent said they\u2019d heard nothing at all.<\/p>\n

Of those, about 8 in 10 said that they believed that Mangione had either \u201ca great deal\u201d or \u201ca moderate amount\u201d culpability in Thompson\u2019s death, but 7 in 10 also believe that insurance company coverage denials, such as UnitedHealthcare\u2019s AI-generated rejections<\/a>\u2014bear \u201ca moderate amount\u201d of responsibility for the homicide. Insurance company profits, such as UnitedHealth\u2019s $371.6 billion in 2023<\/a>, were also cited by respondents as responsible for the fatal shooting.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Andrew Lichtenstein\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

As expected<\/a>, Mangione was extradited from a Pennsylvania jail<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

During the hearing, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo<\/strong> expressed concerns about Mangione\u2019s ability to get a fair trial, citing his well-documented arrival in New York. \u201cHe was on display for everyone to see in the biggest-staged perp walk I\u2019ve ever seen in my career,\u201d the former prosecutor said. \u201cIt was absolutely unnecessary. He\u2019s been cooperative with law enforcement. He had been in custody for over a week. He waived extradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a symbol. He\u2019s somebody who\u2019s afforded the right to a fair trial. He\u2019s 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 \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he awaits trial, Mangione is expected to remain at Brooklyn\u2019s Metropolitan Detention Center, the same jail holding Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs<\/strong> and many other suspects<\/a> during court proceedings. According to experts who spoke with Gothamist<\/a>, Mangione is likely a resident of \u201ca 21-person special unit called Four-N,\u201d where he remains separated from the general population. He is expected to return to court on February 21, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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