Almost immediately after police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione on Dec. 9, 2024, in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of Manhattan, the internet exploded with rumors about the accused shooter.
Some online celebrated Mangione as a folk hero and a heartthrob. Rolling Stone described him as the "most debated and polarizing murder suspect in recent history," in part due to how the Thompson case and speculation over Mangione's reported struggles with chronic back pain ignited conversations about health insurance reform in the United States.
In the wake of Mangione's arrest and murder charges, Snopes debunked a fake picture of him in a "Sailor Moon" costume, verified a Mangione mug shot and broke down what we knew about his alleged female fans in court, among other rumors.
On April 1, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she had directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Mangione's case as the administration carries out "President [Donald] Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again." The news sparked the spread of additional Mangione-related rumors, including one that claimed he would receive a harsher punishment than any school shooter in American history.
Here's a collection of our stories breaking down rumors connected to Mangione.
