In a disturbing display of support for the alleged CEO assassin, inmates at the State Correctional Institution in Huntington, Pennsylvania, where Luigi Mangione is being held, have been heard shouting “Free Luigi.” The chants interrupted a live TV interview conducted by NewsNation reporter Alex Caprariello on Wednesday.
Mangione, 26, was arrested on Monday after a five-day manhunt in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. As Caprariello reported outside the facility, inmates’ voices could be heard from within, with one calling out, “Luigi’s conditions suck,” while another yelled, “Free Luigi.”
Later that evening, Caprariello returned to the prison for a segment with host Ashleigh Banfield. During the interview, Banfield asked inmates about Mangione’s cell conditions, to which they responded by shouting “no” when asked if Mangione had a TV. Inmates also reacted to questions about the prison’s food, collectively responding that it was “terrible” and “BS.”
Banfield remarked, “This is the strangest interview I’ve ever conducted.” Meanwhile, authorities have consistently dismissed claims that Mangione is a “hero” following the public’s praise for his alleged role in Thompson’s death.
Mangione has sparked a divisive reaction, with some people on social media refusing to assist in the manhunt, while others have offered to pay his legal fees.
In the wake of the murder, posters calling for justice have appeared around New York City, featuring the names and images of other health insurance CEOs.
These posters, which accuse executives of “denying medical care for corporate profit,” have raised concerns about potential copycat attacks. The messages declare, “When the rich rob the poor it’s called business. When the poor fight back it’s called violence.”
