The man suspected of killing UnitedHealth CEOs in December has received donations from nearly 10,000 people to help pay his legal expenses.
Luigi Mangione, suspected of killing the CEO of UnitedHealth, has already raised around 300 thousand dollars (approximately 293 thousand euros) in donations to pay legal expenses.
According to Fortune, Mangione's lead defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, is already in possession of the money to cover the expenses.
Fortune, which broke the story on Monday, also reports that the amount was raised through donations from about 10,000 people, who donated an average of $30.
Most of the donations were made by residents of the United States, but there were also those who sent money from other countries.
According to the defense attorney's statement, Mangione "is aware of the fund raised and is grateful for the support."
The 26-year-old man is charged with murder and terrorism in New York state. In court, Mangione pleaded not guilty.
Note that Mangione CEO of UnitedHealth, Brian Thompson, was killed in New York City, where he was attending a conference. Images taken at the time show a man shooting the man, who was 50 years old and was the CEO of one of the largest insurance companies in the United States.
Mangione managed to escape and run free for five days, having been arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.
When he was arrested, he had in his possession a manifesto in which he apologized for "any conflicts or traumas" he had caused, but he showed no remorse for the crime committed. "Frankly, these parasites were asking for it," he wrote.
Months earlier, he had also left a criticism of a manifesto that was not his own. On the Goodreads app, Mangione writes a review of the manifesto written by the terrorist who became known as the 'Unabomber'. In line with some ideas left in the essay, Mangione talks about big companies and leaves some questions (but there are criticisms left by the 'Unabomber's' brother).
After his arrest, it was also discovered that the young man belonged to a wealthy family responsible for donations worth millions of euros to healthcare.
The case was very controversial from the start, with the crimes being romanticized, and even associated with Hollywood 'heartthrobs' (with the suspect being compared to actor James Franco, who spoke about requests to eventually play Mangione on the big screen).
