An online fundraiser created to raise money for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s shooting death, has more than tripled since the Ivy League grad was taken into police custody Monday.
GiveSendGo
A GiveSendGo page created by The December 4th Legal Committee in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, set a fundraising goal of $50,000 to help with Mangione’s legal fees.
Mangione, 26, appeared in court Monday evening after he was arrested in a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on unrelated gun charges.
According to court documents filed in Blair County, Mangione has been charged with forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, possession of instruments of crime, and providing false identification to law enforcement.
Altoona Police Department
At the time of publication, the fundraiser has raised over $800 towards its goal from 52 donors. Before his arrest, the funds totaled $110.
One $5 donor wrote alongside their contribution, “GoFundMe kicked back my donation, so I went right here. I work for a criminal defense attorney, so naturally I am concerned this guy should get a fair trial. So fair. The most fair trial the world has ever seen. That will require all kinds of money. $100,000 is not enough! This guy will need MILLIONS to get a fair trial. Let’s all chip in and do everything we can for fairness, for justice!”
Another $5 donor said, “This young hero deserves a fair trial. He needs to know America has his back. We’re all in this together. A better society is possible.”
A third donor who gave $5 said, “Delay, Deny, Depose,” the same words written on the three bullets used to kill Thompson, which police are investigating whether they relate to a possible motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for GiveSendGo for comment.
Mangione was spotted for the first time Monday night as he was led into a Pennsylvania court. Wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, he looked calm as he was taken out of the car by police while still in handcuffs, and walked into the building.
Luigi Mangione is seen wrapped up against the cold and not smiling at the camera in the police mugshot.
The Altoona Police Department also released Mangione’s mugshot on Monday night. He is pictured wrapped up in a scarf with an emotionless face.
Mangione may have been personally affected by chronic pain or know someone who was, as suggested by his Goodreads profile.
A former classmate of Mangione told the Associated Press on Monday that “he had everything going for him.”
Freddie Leatherbury said he hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from private school Gilman School in Maryland.
NYPD
He described Mangione as a smart, friendly, and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards.
“Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said.
Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest.
“He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said.
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