Some see the person accused of murdering the director of an insurance company as a hero: The person who reported him was threatened

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, has been portrayed as a hero online. Some posts praise his looks and appearance, others talk about who will play him on the popular comedy television show "Saturday Night Live", and some go a step further and criticize or threaten the McDonald's employee who reported Mangione to the police.

Luigi Mangione was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when one of the McDonald's workers recognized him and called the police. A handgun similar to the one used to kill Thompson was found in his possession, as well as a handwritten document expressing "evil intentions toward corporate America," according to police.

According to new information, investigators have confirmed that the bullet casings found at the scene of the murder are linked to the weapon found in Manggione's possession.

He is now in a Pennsylvania jail, denied bail, and his attorney has announced he will appeal the decision to extradite him to New York, where he is formally charged with second-degree murder.

The case of Brian Thompson's murder captured the attention of the American public and raised many questions: how is it possible that many consider someone a hero if his actions are contrary to the laws and regulations in force in the United States of America (USA)?

Manđone as a romanticized character

Little is known so far about Mangione's motive for killing Thompson, although parts of the manifesto he wrote hint at hatred of corporate greed and anger at "parasitic" health insurance companies.

In addition, the words "deny", "defend", "remove" - ​​parts of the title of a book criticizing the health insurance industry - were found on the bullet casings.

Many in their posts on the Internet criticize the health insurance system in America in connection with this case, without mentioning that the man was killed.

"He took action against a private insurance company, he is a brave Italian martyr! In this house, Luigi Maggione is a hero, period!", wrote one Ex user, and the post has had more than two million views.

Responding to some portraying Mangione as a hero, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, criticized the "growing support for those who think they are taking justice into their own hands."

The governor of Pennsylvania, the state where Mangione was arrested - although he did not commit the crime he is accused of - criticized such postings on the Internet.

"We don't kill people here in cold blood to settle political differences or express an opinion. In a civil society, we are all less safe if ideologues start taking justice into their own hands," Shapiro said.

But some disagree with that. Like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, DB Cooper and other infamous names in American history, Mangione is portrayed as someone to be admired.

Does this look more like domestic terrorism after all?

Regina Bateson, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, says the phrase Shapiro used -- taking justice into her own hands -- is not a good description of what happened because the victim was not connected to any specific crime.

To her, it looks more like domestic terrorism. Bateson sees threats against members of election staffs, prosecutors, judges, as well as assassinations of the newly elected US President Donald Trump as a sign that personal or political disagreements can escalate.

"Americans are more supportive, or at least more understanding, of political violence," she said.

The governor of Pennsylvania criticized those who glorify Mangione and said: "He is no hero, the real hero is the person who called the police at McDonald's."

Although they do not support violence, many people are not happy with how the health insurance system in America works and that their medical expenses are not covered.

Tim Anderson of Ohio told the AP that insurance company UnitedHealthcare refused to cover medical expenses for his wife who died in 2022 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"The business model of insurance companies is to cover nothing," says Anderson.

The debate surrounding the murder and how the public sees Manggione goes beyond humorous memes on the Internet. For example, a Reddit user was banned for three days after he supported Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people during a racial equality protest in 2020, and was cleared because he said he did it in self-defense. He now asked if others would also be banned for supporting Luigi.

There were a lot of comments, one of which read that "they should probably cross a red line and promote violence, not just say they don't care about the victim."