A group of fans of Luigi Mangione gathered outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Monday, voicing their strong opinions to reporters.
One woman, identifying as “Ashley,” expressed her feelings quite bluntly, saying, “Forget Brian Thompson. That’s all I’m gonna say. I don’t care about anything else. Forget Brian Thompson. Forget his mom. Forget that lady from Inside Edition. I mean what I say. I’m not holding back.” She seemed to have a press credential.
Mangione is currently on trial for the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, which took place on December 4, 2024.
Another fan, Lena Weissbrot, also sporting a press pass, remarked, “Honestly, his children are better off without him. They need to learn what not to be like. And enjoy whatever they gain from this.”
“I’m sticking to my guns. Forget Brian Thompson; I really don’t care that he died,” Ashley reiterated.
Weissbrot chimed in, “I, um, liked it.”
Ashley went on to state, “If you’re okay with someone like Brian Thompson existing in our society, it says more about you because honestly, it’s quite monstrous to defend someone who engages in social murder.”
“Mass,” Weissbrot added.
“Mass social murder,” Ashley concurred.
One interesting point made by Ashley was about the moral implications of inaction. She suggested that doing nothing about someone like Thompson was akin to endorsing him and everything he stood for.
Weissbrot continued, citing, “He’s responsible for more deaths than Osama Bin Laden. I remember when Americans celebrated after Bin Laden was killed. We get the concept of heroic violence, right? It’s as American as it gets.”
Abril Rios, the third member of the group, weighed in with her own thoughts.
“Why do we hold the Second Amendment in such high regard? Is it to enable school shootings, or is it about protecting our democracy? I’d argue it’s the latter,” Rios said.
“When democracy is fading and there’s no other choice, what are people supposed to do?” she asked.
The women seemed to be enjoying themselves, performing a kind of “truth to power” act for the cameras. They would likely be rewarded by their peers—essentially fellow Mangione enthusiasts.
Their statements appear to reflect a central concern: “Will this get me the right kind of attention from the people I want approval from?”
It’s a bit like those dogs that learn to press buttons in a certain order to get treats. Their declarations about “social murder” and “heroic violence” really translate to: “Did I say the right thing? Am I seen positively now?”
Just a thought.
It seems that this thirst for notoriety might be encouraged in the circles these women navigate. They even run an Instagram page called “The Mangionistas,” where they share updates about Mangione’s case and other related content.
It’s interesting to consider that it may be these small, seemingly innocuous women who guide us toward a more violent era.
