EXCLUSIVE – A trio of judges say they understand Americans’ daily frustration with the health care industry, but are “disturbed” by the outpouring of support for the suspects CEO of UnitedHealthcare killer.
Luigi Mangione26, is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4. Prosecutors believe the killing was intended to send a message to the health insurance industry based on a manifesto found on the suspect when he was arrested days later in Pennsylvania.
Despite the cold-blooded nature of his alleged crime, Mangione has found supporters across the country for the message in his manifesto and even for his appearance. Fan groups of the suspects sprung up online, while “Saturday Night Live” received backlash when the audience cheered for Mangione during a live taping.
Three judges who act on “Judicial justice“, a show created by Judge Judith Sheindlin, also known as Judge Judy, everyone was appalled by the Mangione movement, while also empathizing with Americans who have valid grievances against the health care industry.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024 in New York. Mangione, 26, is charged with the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street. (Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images)
“I was kind of surprised by the outpouring of support he got online, something we haven’t seen before,” said Judge Adam Levy, the son of Judge Judy and one-third of the panel on “Tribunal Justice.” Fox News Digital. “However, after thinking about it, I certainly understand the frustration that people have with the health industry in general, leaving aside the people on the internet who support it because they say it looks good or whatever.”
Tanya Acker, who hosts “The Tanya Acker Show” podcast, was similarly troubled by how Mangione entered the pop culture psyche as a supposed hero.
“I’m really disturbed by how some people have made a hero out of a killer,” Acker told Fox Digital. “And look, there are a lot of complaints people could make about the various practices of insurance companies. I have my own litany of complaints, but unless you’re going to sanction the murder of your boss, who only acquired a certain type of insurance, or the murder of politicians who introduced certain policies, unless you’re going to go down that road, people just need to stop. This was cold-blooded murder and it should be treated as such.”
Mangione’s social media support also caught the eye of the NYPD commissioner.
“Luigi Mangione has now been formally charged with murder, and let me be perfectly clear, in the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompson’s murder, we have seen a shocking and horrific celebration of cold-blooded murder,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. “Social media erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.”
Patricia DiMango, the third judge at “Tribunal Justice”, made a similar assessment. DiMango, a former New York State Supreme Court justice, described Mangione as a strange enigma whose background did not suggest he would one day turn into a cold-blooded killer.
The cast of the second season of “Tribunal Justice”. LR: Bailiff Petri Hawkins Byrd, Judge Tanya Acker, Judge Patricia DiMango, Judge Adam Levy and Bailiff Cassandra Britt. (Michael Becker/Prime Video)
“The masses were obsessed with Mangione,” she told Fox News Digital. “But I think in a very ironic way, and I think the fascination has more to do with his message, and with him being the messenger. Of course, there are many unusual aspects of the case. First of all, he’s not a regular, typical murder suspect. He went to elite school in Maryland He has two degrees in computer science. He was a wealthy member of society that also attracts people.”
“In my opinion, what I think has happened here is that it’s like this growing frustration between the widening chasm of the haves and the have-nots, the underserved versus the entitled and the privileged,” she continued.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024 in New York. Mangione, 26, is charged with the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street. (Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images)
Levy said the system needs to change and that public officials need to be held accountable for their behavior, but not to that extent.
“When a child or a sibling or a parent is wrongly denied insurance, who ends up dying, you’re going to take someone who is normally a rational person and you’re going to turn them into an irrational person,” he said. “It is necessary to make decisions that will start that system.”
When the second season premieres this month, the judges said viewers will see that they have addressed some of the flaws from the first season.
“I think what’s really great about our show, and especially the second season of the show, is that as people get to know us more and more, we just get more interesting cases and different cases,” Acker said. “I think this year is going to be really enjoyable for viewers, the depth of the cases kind of allows for a little more intrigue.”
“Cases still vary from your small claims, your dog bite, your landlord-tenant,” DiMango explained. “But we also have some serious matters, which include some domestic abuse situations. And those have resulted in some very good considerations.”
She added that cameras are now “everywhere” in the courtroom and will provide the audience with an even more engaging experience.
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The second season of “Tribunal Justice” debuts on Prime Video on Monday, January 27. New episodes are broadcast on weekdays.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conkilin contributed to this report.
