‘Hannibal Lecter’ treatment of Luigi Mangione ‘backfired’, says fundraising organizer

Authorities’ heavily armed ‘perp walk’ of alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter may have aided in raising more than $700,000

The organizer of an online campaign that has raised more than $700,000 for Luigi Mangione’s legal defense in connection with the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, believes the accused killer’s infamous, post-arrest “perp walk” may have “backfired” on New York authorities and spurred some of the financial support effort.

In remarks on an upcoming podcast exploring Mangione’s case, Sam Beard says the campaign eclipsed its goal by more than double after the public saw authorities “treating him like Hannibal Lecter”, referring to the fictional serial killer protagonist in The Silence of the Lambs film.