Apparel, Christmas Ornaments, and a Cryptocurrency Spring Up Celebrating Luigi Mangione After His Arrest

The suspect behind the brazen killing of the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, is under arrest and facing murder charges. However, he is getting the hero treatment as online shops offer up a deluge of merchandise celebrating his alleged actions.Even before the alleged murderer’s name, Luigi Mangione, was known, social media users in some corners of the internet were celebrating the killing of Thompson. The dark fascination over Mr. Mangione went into overdrive after his name was revealed, and more details about his life came to light, along with a shirtless picture of him. In the hours after his arrest, the phrase “FREE HIM” trended on X.Since then, people have been offering all kinds of merchandise. On Etsy and other online retailers, more than 100 different options of t-shirts, stickers, mugs, beanie hats, Christmas ornaments, and fake bullets have sprung up for sale following his arrest. Some include the phrase “free him” with a picture of his mug shot, while others include the words “Deny, defend, depose,” referencing reports that those words were etched into bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson’s murder. The phrase is reportedly popular among the health insurance industry and refers to decisions to deny coverage.EtsyOn eBay, one seller was offering a Happy Meal with a “buy it now” price of $1,100 to commemorate the day Mr. Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s. Representatives for eBay did not respond to a request for comment from the Sun. However, a spokesman for eBay told NBC News, “eBay policies do not prohibit the sale of items with the phrase ‘Deny. Defend. Depose.,’ however, items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.” On TikTok’s shop tab, one shirt features multiple images of Mr. Mangione’s face with the words “Heroes don’t wear capes” on it.Other varieties of shirts include one with the character “Luigi,” from Nintendo’s “Mario” video game, wearing a hoodie and holding a gun. Another shirt declares, “In this house Luigi Mangione is a hero. End of story.” Yet another shirt includes McDonald’s famous golden arches on a red shirt with the suspect’s name substituted for the name of the fast food chain. The majority of merchandise options are being sold from print-on-demand shops that let people design their own products. Representatives for Etsy and TikTok did not respond to Sun’s request for comment. Besides physical merchandise, a cryptocurrency named after Mr. Mangione was also launched.EtsyMr. Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s at Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a customer and employee recognized him from photos released of the suspect. After his arrest, details of reported “anti-capitalist” sentiments and “ill will toward corporate America emerged.” Police have yet to share details of a potential motive as of Tuesday morning. However, reports of the words found on the bullet cases and the “significant pain” he was facing from a chronic condition have fueled speculation that Mr. Mangione targeted Thompson due to frustrations with the health insurance industry. While people celebrated Mr. Mangione online, others flooded the McDonald’s location where he was caught with negative reviews.

Apparel, Christmas Ornaments, and a Cryptocurrency Spring Up Celebrating Luigi Mangione After His Arrest

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