As supporters caught a glimpse of accused killer Luigi Mangione at a New York courthouse on Friday, some were shocked by what he was wearing – or wasn’t wearing – on his feet.
Court officials estimated 250 to 300 people waited to see the 26-year-old who is charged with the December 4 killing of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel where he was due to attend an investors meeting.
When Mangione entered the corridor from a side door for the hearing, the crowd erupted in excited screams as he was escorted to the courtroom.
The Ivy League graduate wore a police vest over a green sweater, light khaki pants, and brown loafers as he made his way through the roaring crowd. His hands and feet were shackled.
But, as eyes scanned down his outfit, many honed in on his ankles.
The internet then erupted with comments about his apparent fashion faux pas — loafers and no socks.Â
His feet were pictured crossed under the table wearing brown loafers, ankle cuffs, and exposed skin.Â
Shocked and disturbed fans ran to social media to question the odd fashion choice.
‘Loafers with no socks. A bold choice with the world watching,’ one Reddit user posted to the subreddit Pics.
Mangione who took the internet by storm was wearing loafers and no socks on Friday at a courthouse in New York City
The fashion faux pas shocked and repulsed fans as they ran to social media to express their distaste for the fashion choice
Along with his brown loafers, he also wore a police vest over a green sweater, light khaki pants, as he made his way through the roaring crowd of supporters
‘Shoes without socks repulses me,’ said another.
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, also chimed in on his questionable outfit.
‘No socks???’ one questioned.
‘They need to send him away just for not wearing socks omg,’ a user wrote.
An X user begged, ‘Can men start wearing socks again?’Â
Another asked: ‘No socks in the cold plus shackles? Is that really necessary?’
‘No socks and it’s cold with those chains… they are doing so much,’ a tweet read.
A few people argued that the 26-year-old alleged killer should be given socks in the cold New York City weather.
‘Okay this is so unnecessary it’s ridiculous, but also… they can’t even give him socks? It’s so cold?’ one wondered.
Mangione has been in custody at the in Brooklyn after his arrest for killing of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4
Mangione faces 11 charges, including murder as an act of terrorism, and has pleaded not guilty
However, many have called him a hero for targeting the head of the country’s biggest health insurer, and the American health system in general
‘You guys couldn’t give Luigi Mangione some socks for those loafers? It’s cold out here,’ said the second.Â
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo asked that Mangione be unshackled, but judge Gregory Carro said that ‘for security reasons’ the court security staff wanted to ‘keep him cuffed.’Â
On December 4, security footage captured the moment the killer ambushed Thompson, 50, shooting him from behind.Â
The killer then fled the scene on an e-bike which he rode to Central Park before making his getaway.Â
Mangione has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his arrest on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt.
He attended the $40,000-a-year Gilman School in Baltimore before studying computer science and engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and has divided public opinion since his identity and the chilling details of Thompson’s murder were revealed after his arrest.
The 26-year-old allegedly used a ‘ghost gun’ and wrote ‘Deny’, ‘Depose’, and ‘Delay’ on three bullets left at the murder scene in what has been interpreted as a sign of anger at the healthcare system which reportedly sprang from his long-term back problems.
Mangione faces 11 charges, including murder as an act of terrorism, and has pleaded not guilty.
However, many have called him a hero for targeting the head of the country’s biggest health insurer, and the American health system in general.
