Around 24 women were present in the court’s public gallery today to support Luigi Mangione, the alleged gunman accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to several news outlets.
Mangione, 26, appeared in the Manhattan courtroom wearing shackles and a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt. While his family was absent, approximately two dozen women attended the hearing to support him, many wearing face masks and some visibly emotional, as reported by ABC News.
Mangione has previously garnered attention for his appearance, particularly after a photo of him smiling without a mask at a New York City hostel circulated online. Social media users have compared him to “hot criminals” like Jeremy Meeks, who was arrested in 2014 for gun-related charges and later became a model.
Accounts such as @HotforLuigi have surfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One video shared on X shows masked women singing “The Hanging Tree,” a song made popular by The Hunger Games, outside the Manhattan courthouse.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terrorism charges on Monday.
He faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, including a charge of second-degree murder as an act of terrorism “for the brazen, targeted and premeditated shooting on Brian Thompson,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on December 17.
Additional charges include criminal possession of a weapon. First-degree murder and second-degree murder as an act of terrorism carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without parole, while second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.
