CEO ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione flooded with offers to pay legal bills as he wins legions of ghoulish online fans
SUSPECTED CEO assassin Luigi Mangione has been flooded with offers to pay his legal bills, his lawyer has revealed.
Lawyer Tom Dickey also slammed New York officials, claiming there is “zero evidence” that the wealthy college grad is the shooter.
Data engineer Mangione was caught after a five-day manhunt by a rookie cop inside a McDonald’s on Monday in Pennsylvania.
He was searched by officers who found a fake ID, a “ghost gun” similar to the one seen in CCTV footage of the killing and a manifesto lambasting the healthcare industry.
Mangione has received sympathy across various social media platforms and has even been labelled a “hero” by some ghoulish fans.
One has even shared a tattoo based on the CCTV image released by the NYPD during their desperate manhunt.
And, in light of the bizarre support, Mangione’s lawyer Tom Dickey has revealed that his staff had received numerous emails of people offering to pay for Mangione’s legal bills.
He told CNN that while he hasn’t seen them personally, his “understanding” from staff is that “people are doing that”.
But Dickey was quick to defend that he “probably wouldn’t” accept the unbelievable offers.
The lawyer added: “Obviously my client appreciates the support that he has, but I don’t know.
“It just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Lawyer Dickey has even said that he’s not convinced New York officials have the right suspect.
Mangione, 26, is fighting his extradition to the state where he faces five charges – including murder.
He was denied bail during a court appearance in Pennyslvania.
Dickey told reporters that he had seen “zero evidence” that incriminates his client.
He explained: “Remember – and this is not just a small thing – the fundamental concept of American justice is the presumption of innocence and until you’re proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and I’ve seen zero evidence at this point.”
Dickey solidified his claim when he told CNN: “I haven’t seen any evidence that they have the right guy”.
He added that officials would “need to convince” him that Mangione is the person they have been looking for.
As investigations into the suspect and the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, cops discovered a secret notebook inside Mangione’s backpack when he was arrested.
It contained several pages allegedly centred around a sick “to-do list” linked to Thompson.
The pages had tasks that needed to be planned out to pull off a brazen kill, a police source told CNN.
Several chilling notes also justified these calculated plans, the source added.
Another page reportedly referenced a plot to take out the UnitedHealthcare CEO using a bomb.
One haunting passage said Thompson could be taken out using an explosive as he walked through Manhattan, the source said.
The alleged plan draws up a harrowing number of similarities to the Unabomber who Mangione reportedly praised months before the shooting.
Domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski killed three people using sadistic mail bombs across a 17-year reign of terror.
Details around the alleged bomb plot haven’t been disclosed but Mangione is said to have decided to scrap any plans because it “could kill innocents”.
One comment in the notebook even detailed how using a gun would be better as it would be targeted and “kill the CEO at his own bean counting conference”.
A separate note, directed towards investigators, also said: “To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.
“These parasites had it coming. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”
Mangione was arrested on Monday and swiftly charged with the murder of Thompson.
Photos showed Mangione munching on a McDonald’s hash brown minutes before cops swooped in and cuffed him.
He appeared in court for the first time shortly after for an arraignment on gun and forgery charges.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
MANGIONE, 26, was regarded as a beloved, clever and wealthy man by his family, friends and all who knew him.
He was born and raised in Maryland where he was valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Gilman School in Baltimore.
He had no prior criminal history and was said to have been a model student, footballer and all-round athlete at high school.
One former student from the Gilman School told The U.S. Sun Mangione was “popular” and had a “big circle of friends.”
The former student, who asked not to be identified, said: “We went to the same school but didn’t really have the same friends. I’m really shocked by this whole thing.
“I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure.”
After, Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Computer and Information Science, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also got his masters from the Ivy League school.
Mangione was reportedly a data engineer at a car company in California before moving to Hawaii.
His cousin is also Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione.
New York prosecutors later filed second-degree murder charges against Mangione for the December 4 assassination of Thompson.
He also faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in New York.
Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, has repeatedly preached his client’s innocence.
He told CNN that he hasn’t seen any evidence that Mangione is “the right guy”.
When he was hauled back into court on Tuesday, Mangione was seen unleashing a frantic outburst at anyone within earshot.
He had to be restrained as he shouted claims that the situation was “out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people”.
At least three deputies grabbed Mangione, clutching him by his neck as they shoved him into the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania.
In court Dickey said his client is fighting extradition to New York, where he faces murder charges.
His appeal for bail has also been denied.
He is due to stay at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon for the time being.
It comes as cops are continuing to look into a number of leads following Mangione’s capture.
One of the latest theories behind why he may have become a killer involves his pals claiming he turned “absolutely crazy” after an agonising back surgery.
X-ray pictures posted by Mangione show he suffered with a misaligned spine which was reportedly made severely worse following a surfing accident.
Former classmates have appeared to tell reporters that an operation went wrong and that this could have driven the Maryland man to the brink.