A startling new poll revealed that a plurality of young Americans back the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The poll, released by Emerson College – a private university in Boston, Massachusetts – determined that of 1,000 registered voters surveyed, 41 percent of them between the ages of 18-29 believe Thompson’s murder was acceptable.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside of a Manhattan hotel on the morning of December 4 while on his way to an investor conference.
The NYPD searched for days trying to find his killer up until December 9 when Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonalds and identified as the CEO’s alleged murderer.
Since the murder, many have gone on to celebrate Thompson’s death, citing the broken American healthcare system. Meanwhile, others have mourned the loss of the father-of-two.
Of the 41 percent of young voters who agreed that his death is justified, 24 percent of them believe the murder was somewhat acceptable, while 17 percent believe it was completely acceptable, according to the survey.
While a large number of young people agreed Thompson’s murder was valid, 40 percent said it was unacceptable.
Of that 40 percent, 33 percent said that his death was completely unacceptable, while seven percent admitted it was somewhat unacceptable.
Many young Americans said that the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was acceptable, according to a poll released by Emerson College
The NYPD searched for days trying to find his killer up until December 9 when Luigi Mangione, 26 , was arrested at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonalds and identified as the CEO’s alleged murderer
While some chose one side or the other, 19 percent of young Americans said they were neutral about his murder.
Of the men that participated in the survey – which received answers from voters ages 18-70+ – 19 percent said Thompson’s death was acceptable, while only 14 percent of women agreed.
Although each age group ranged differently, overall, voters ages 60-69 overwhelming thought his slaying was completely unacceptable, according to the survey.
The alleged assassin was caught while eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, where staff members and patrons recognized Mangione as the suspect was caught on surveillance footage.
He was then taken into custody on firearm charges in the state, with police saying he had a 3D-printed pistol and black silencer loaded with one Glock magazine comprising six 9mm full-metal jacket rounds.
New York police officers were later able to match that ammunition with the ones from Thompson’s death – when Mangione allegedly labeled ‘depose,’ ‘deny’ and ‘defend’ on the bullets.
He was found at the fast food restaurant after both a worker and elderly person spotted him and called the police
Mangione also reportedly had a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare.
‘To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, [and] a lot of patience,’ he allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.
He went on to say he had ‘respect’ for federal investigators, and apologized for causing any ‘traumas,’ but seemed to defend his alleged actions.
‘Frankly these parasites had it coming,’ the manifesto wrote.
It also reportedly claimed that the United States had the ‘most expensive healthcare system in the world,’ but blasted the system for making America only the 42nd in life expectancy.
New York City police now say they have ‘no indication’ to suggest Mangione was ever a client of the insurance company.
Chief Joseph Kelly, though, noted to NBC New York that the manifesto ‘does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America.
‘So that’s possibly why he targeted the company,’ Kelly suggested.
But UnitedHealth Group has fought back against the hatred in the aftermath of Thompson’s death.
A spokesperson for the company told the Washington Post that its insurance division pays about 90 percent of medical claims when they are submitted, and of the remainder, only 0.5 percent are ‘due to medical or clinical reasons.’
Allies of the company also say the complexities of the healthcare system in the US is to blame – arguing that many of the price hikes that consumers blame on insurance companies could be traced back to hospitals and doctors raising their own prices, which are then passed on to patients.
NYPD officer were later able to match that ammunition with the ones from Thompson’s death – when Mangione allegedly labeled ‘depose,’ ‘deny’ and ‘defend’ on the bullets
The Maryland native comes from a large successful family, as his late grandfather Nick Mangione Sr. was an Italian American real estate mogul acquired country clubs, a radio station, and a network of assisted living facilities
Mangione was initially being represented by Thomas Dickey, but he has since taken on a powerful New York attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, to defend him.
Friedman Agnifilo, a former assistant district attorney who helped prosecute the Harvey Weinstein case in the Big Apple, is considered a veteran of the New York state court system.
A source told CNN that she ‘knows every corridor, every judge, every clerk in the courthouse.’
‘She’s got as much experience as any human being, especially in the state court,’ they added.
Since being arrested, none of Mangione’s family members have come to visit him at the Blair County, Pennsylvania jail.
The Maryland native comes from a large successful family, as his late grandfather Nick Mangione Sr. was an Italian American real estate mogul who acquired country clubs, a radio station and a network of assisted living facilities where the alleged gunman volunteered in his teens.
The for-profit Lorien Health Services network inherited by Nick’s 10 kids – including Luigi’s father, Louis – promises stimulating activities, restaurant-style dining, movie theaters, beauty spas and barbershops.
His late grandmother, Mary C. Mangione, a philanthropist, left behind tens of millions of dollars for her family following her death in 2023.
Mary left behind a reporter $30 million to her loved ones, but according to documents reviewed by TMZ, that amount might actually be as high as $100 million.
The money was put into a trust where the trustees, one of whom is Luigi’s father, have the power to make distributions.
Conditions have been put in place that means anyone charged with a crime could prevent them from seeing any money, meaning Luigi may never see his share.
According to the outlet, the document allows trustees to withhold money if the person has been ‘charged, indicted, convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony’.
His grandmother had also stipulated that she wanted to cut off any heirs that had been charged with ‘heinous’ or ‘violent’ crimes.
