Luigi Mangione: Why do some Americans support a suspected killer?

On Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson (50), the UnitedHealthcare chief executive was murdered in cold blood outside a hotel in Manhattan.

The manhunt to find his killer ended on Monday when the chief suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested as he sat in a McDonald’s in a railroad town in Pennsylvania. He has been charged with murder.

From the moment the CCTV of the shooting went viral, the police investigation began but so too did an onslaught of social media commentary: from amateur sleuths joining the manhunt; from infatuated posters who had become Mangione fans; and a deluge of online comments and memes either sarcastically or explicitly calling out the greed of private healthcare companies.

Now that a suspect has been caught says Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan, the intense fascination has shifted from “who?” to “why?”.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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