Ghoulish online fans raise $67,000 for CEO ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione in bizarre show of support for wealthy college grad
GHOULISH online fans of suspected CEO assassin Luigi Mangione have set up a $200,000 fundraiser to pay for his legal bills.
And they have already raised an astounding $67,000 for the wealthy college grad who has been charged with the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old data engineer was caught after a five-day manhunt by a rookie cop inside a McDonald’s on Monday in Pennsylvania.
Mangione has been inundated with sympathy from misguided fans across various social media platforms – and even been labelled a “hero”.
One even shared a tattoo they got based on the security camera image released by the NYPD during their desperate manhunt.
His fans have now created an online legal campaign to raise funds and pay future his legal bills.
The fundraiser, understood to have been set up by a group of anonymous people, reads: “This is a preemptive legal fundraiser for the suspect allegedly involved in the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO”.
In a bizarre turn it said: “We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation.
“All proceeds will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to reject the funds, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S political prisoners.
“Luigi’s mailing address has been made available, and we are writing him to open a line of communication. In future letters, we will send printouts of selected comments from this fundraising page.”
With hashtags saying Free Luigi, anonymous people posted strange comments of support on the donation page.
Meanwhile, Mangione’s attorney Tom Dickey revealed that his staff had received numerous emails from 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 quipped Mangione “probably wouldn’t accept” the unbelievable offers.
“Obviously my client appreciates the support that he has, but I don’t know,” the lawyer added.
“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 New York, where he faces five charges – including murder.
He was denied bail during a court appearance in Pennsylvania.
Cops caught him just moments after he was seen eating a hash brown at McDonald’s,
He was found to have a fake ID, a “ghost gun” similar to the one seen in surveillance footage of the killing and a manifesto lambasting the healthcare industry.
And on Wednesday, investigators revealed that fingerprints on a discarded water bottle found near the scene of the assassination outside of the Hilton hotel matched those of Mangione, according to ABC News.
‘ZERO EVIDENCE’ AGAINST LUIGI
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 centered 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.
BOMB MANHATTAN
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.
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 appeared in court for the first time shortly after for an arraignment on gun and forgery charges.
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 agonizing 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.