When my friend and I booked a trip to New York this January, we chose HI NYC Hostel because it seemed like the nicest and cheapest option. It wasn’t until after we booked that we realized Luigi Mangione had stayed there too, just days before being arrested for the murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson.
We knew about the case — social media had already turned Luigi into a headline and a punchline — so of course, once we checked in, we couldn’t resist asking the front desk about it. The receptionist hit us with the classic, “I can’t confirm that,” which we took as industry code for, “Yes, but I’m not allowed to say so.”
But staying there didn’t make me think about Luigi’s cheekbones or Brian’s legacy. It made me think about the disconnect between what actually happened, what the internet decided happened, and how our generation reacts to stories like this. Because honestly? I don’t feel much sympathy for Brian Thompson. But that doesn’t mean I think Luigi’s a hero either.
Here’s what actually happened. Luigi Mangione’s mother reported him missing in San Francisco on Nov. 18, 2024. By Nov. 24, he was caught on surveillance arriving in New York by bus. On Nov. 30, he checked into HI NYC Hostel, where he stayed until the morning of Dec. 4. That day, prosecutors allege, Luigi left the hostel at dawn, rode an e-bike downtown and ambushed Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown — the same hotel where UnitedHealth Group’s investor meeting was being held. Luigi allegedly fired multiple rounds, calmly cleared a gun jam mid-attack and fled into Central Park.
By Dec. 9, Luigi was recognized and arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Penn. When police took him into custody, they found a 3D-printed ghost gun, a silencer, fake IDs, cash and a handwritten manifesto outlining his anger toward the American health care system — with companies like UnitedHealthcare called out by name.
Meanwhile, back in New York, investigators recovered more evidence near the crime scene, including Luigi’s abandoned e-bike, a cell phone believed to be his and a backpack filled with Monopoly money — an eerie symbol of wealth and corporate greed. Investigators also found three 9mm shell casings at the scene, each engraved with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — a direct reference to the notorious phrase often used to describe how insurance companies handle claims: deny the request, defend the decision and depose anyone who fights back.
Days later, the Manhattan district attorney formally charged Luigi with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, second-degree murder, multiple counts of weapons possession and possession of a forged instrument tied to the fake IDs found on him. Then, on Dec. 19, federal prosecutors also unsealed charges against Luigi, including stalking, murder and using a silencer in a crime of violence — serious charges that some believe are designed to leave the door open for the death penalty, something state charges wouldn’t allow.
The facts? Important, but they barely stood a chance. The minute Luigi’s mugshot hit the internet, the story shifted into something else entirely. He wasn’t just a murder suspect anymore — he was “hot Luigi.” TikTok edits, “he can shoot my shot” tweets and even campaign slogans like “Free Luigi” took over. His name made it funnier, his face made it marketable and the victim — a health care CEO — made it feel like some kind of revenge fantasy.
Here’s the thing: countless families have mourned loved ones because of decisions made by UnitedHealthcare — denied claims, endless red tape, profits over people. Brian Thompson wasn’t personally responsible for all of that, but he was a highly paid cog in the machine. A machine that has destroyed lives. It’s hard to say “poor Brian” when so many people have suffered under the system he helped lead.
Do I feel bad for his loved ones — his wife, his kids — because we’re all human? Yes, of course. But at the same time, countless people have lost their loved ones because of the policies, decisions and agenda Brian spent his career pushing. It’s uncomfortable to admit, but grief cuts both ways, and when the system itself profits off suffering, it’s hard to pretend Brian was just some innocent bystander.
And it’s not just anger — it’s action. As of Feb. 11, a group calling itself the December 4th Legal Committee has raised nearly $328,000 for Luigi’s legal defense — not through GoFundMe (which banned the fundraisers for violating its policy against defending people accused of violent crimes), but through GiveSendGo, a platform that’s become a hub for controversial and politically charged cases. Many of the donations come with notes blaming UnitedHealthcare and the American health care system for driving Luigi to this point. It’s not just a crime story — to a lot of people, this has become a political case.
But that doesn’t make Luigi a hero. Luigi murdered someone. It was calculated. It was a political statement made through violence. You don’t have to sympathize with Brian to see that this wasn’t justice — it was assassination.
What I can’t stop thinking about is the fact that this murder is being treated as terrorism — when so many mass shootings in this country aren’t. A guy kills a health care CEO to make a political point? Terrorism. But a white 18-year-old shoots up a school or a Black church and suddenly we’re debating if it’s just a “troubled loner.” It’s not that I think Luigi should walk free — he shouldn’t. But the way crimes are labeled, the way certain violence gets called terrorism while other violence gets excused as an isolated incident, speaks volumes about who this country actually fears.
So am I surprised my generation made Luigi a meme? Absolutely not. This is exactly what we do. When the world feels broken and justice feels impossible, we cope through humor and detachment. Luigi’s face, his name, the cartoonish irony of an attractive young man with a manifesto killing a corporate villain — it’s tailor-made for internet brain.
Am I mad about it? Not really. I laughed at some of the memes too — because that’s what we do when the world is absurd, and this case is nothing if not absurd. But would I ever seriously say “Free Luigi”? No. He’s not getting freed — and frankly, he shouldn’t. What he did was a premeditated, politically motivated murder, and he’s almost certainly going to spend the rest of his life in prison.
But was it just a murder? That’s where this case is different — and why it’s sticking with me. Because even though Luigi’s act was violent and wrong, it was also a powerful political statement. One that hit a nerve because the health care system in this country is, objectively, problematic.
Luigi will pay the price for what he did — but the system that pushed him there? It’s still in business, still denying claims, still ruining lives. I don’t feel bad for Brian Thompson, but I don’t think Luigi is innocent either. And while I definitely don’t think we should be romanticizing calculated murder, I understand exactly why this case became what it did.
It’s the perfect storm: a system everyone hates, a victim nobody loves, a suspect who looks like a model, and a generation that’s fluent in coping through chaos and comedy. The real tragedy isn’t just the murder itself — it’s the fact that so many people saw themselves in Luigi’s frustration. That’s what the memes can’t fully capture. And that’s what we should actually be talking about.
As of today, Luigi Mangione remains in custody, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is awaiting trial.
