Controversy Surrounds Lexi Alexander Over Post Related to Stabbing Incident
Lexi Alexander, known for directing the 2008 Marvel film Punisher: War Zone, is facing backlash for a post on X (formerly Twitter) that seemed to celebrate the fatal stabbing of a Bank of America employee. In her post, she featured an image of Luigi Mangione’s face over Batman’s bat signal.
The victim, Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president, was brutally stabbed in Times Square shortly after marking her second wedding anniversary and returning to work from maternity leave. The attack occurred as she was walking near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, where Pamela Cisneros, 49, attacked her and another person without provocation. Cisneros was later shot dead by police when she threatened them with two butcher knives.
After the incident, Alexander, who identifies as a “Palestinian filmmaker” and was born in Germany to Palestinian parents, shared a depiction of Batman looking up at the bat signal. However, instead of the usual symbol, the light featured Mangione’s image, who is currently on trial for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
Accompanying the image was a quote from a Bloomberg news piece that mentioned Piacenti’s employer, but it did not reveal her identity: “Bank of America vice president killed in Times Square stabbing – BBG.” Her post, while still visible on her timeline, has been restricted from embedding.
In a subsequent tweet, Alexander labeled those criticizing her as “Hasbara bots,” implying they were linked to Israeli propaganda efforts. In another follow-up, she shared a message from a woman expressing indifference to Piacenti’s death, who faced threats allegedly from “Zionists” as a result.
In a now-deleted message, Alexander complained that her post celebrating the murder had been picked up by numerous news outlets, calling it an “absolute non-story.” She argued that at the time, no one was aware of the victim’s identity as a mother or her lower-level position at the bank, suggesting it seemed similar to the ongoing case with Mangione. She justified not deleting it, citing the chance to remind people to #BoycottBofA.
The New York City Police continue to investigate the stabbing incidents, while family members of Cisneros have stated she struggled with mental health issues.
Since Punisher: War Zone didn’t perform well at the box office, grossing only $10 million against a budget of $35 million, Alexander has primarily focused on directing episodes for various television series, including Supergirl, S.W.A.T., and How to Get Away with Murder.
