It has been one year since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on a New York street, but the pain for those who knew him is fresh, exacerbated by what they see as misplaced public sympathy for his accused killer.
"The Luigi Show": A Colleague's Outrage
Terrie Martin, an independent Medicare broker from Texas who met Thompson at a conference, expressed deep disgust at the narrative surrounding Luigi Mangione, the man charged with the murder. "It was the Luigi show," Martin told the New York Post, criticising the fans and supporters who have rallied behind the alleged shooter.
She remembered Thompson not as a corporate titan, but as a humble family man dedicated to improving healthcare. "The whole thing just disgusts me — the way it was handled, the way it was portrayed, the way everybody jumped to celebrate when they weren't even thinking this guy was a father, a husband, a boss or anything," Martin said. She described his sincere desire to understand ground-level healthcare challenges: "What’s beneficial, what’s lacking, how can we make it better? He was really, really set on that very sincerely."
A Humble CEO and a Violent Crime
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed outside the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan on December 4, 2024. The shocking assassination was captured on surveillance camera. The alleged gunman, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, fled New York but was arrested after a five-day manhunt at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Federal prosecutors have stated that Mangione held a hostile attitude towards the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Martin recalled Thompson's unassuming nature. "Everyone called him BT... I’ve never seen a dynamic like that before in corporate America," she said, sharing an anecdote where she didn't initially realise she was speaking to the CEO. "If you had met him anywhere... you would never have guessed he was a CEO. Never."
Ongoing Court Proceedings and Divided Public
This week, a Manhattan judge reviewed key evidence in the ongoing murder case against Mangione. Prosecutors presented the 911 call from the Altoona McDonald's and surveillance footage of a masked gunman shooting Thompson. The defence is seeking to suppress evidence from Mangione's arrest, which included a handgun, a magazine, and a notebook.
Outside the court, a stark contrast was visible. Supporters of Mangione gathered in costume, holding "Free Luigi" signs—a spectacle that has deeply upset the victim's colleagues and family. For Terrie Martin and others who knew Brian Thompson, the memory of a dedicated professional and a kind man is what truly deserves public attention, not the notoriety of his accused killer.
