An Indiana couple wearing “Luigi” hats were among dozens of warped fans who showed up for accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione Thursday — saying they’d rather have a murderer on the loose, than another health insurance executive.
Ethan Merril and Ashlyn Adami of South Bend, donned caps worn by the character from the Super Mario Bros. franchise as they and at least 100 other supporters gathered outside a Pennsylvania courthouse where Mangione, 26, appeared for a hearing before being brought to New York City.
“As far as I see it, Luigi killed one person, but health insurance companies destroy millions of lives every year,” Merril, a 34-year-old programmer, told The Post as he held a “Free Luigi” sign.
“Frankly, I’d have another CEO killer on the streets than another CEO,” he said.
“At least a CEO that’s specifically making profit off of the well being of other humans, where the only way they’re making money is by taking money by denying claims that they’re supposed to pay out,” Adami, 37, added, while holding a sign reading “privatized healthcare is a crime against humanity!”
The pair explained their beliefs stemmed from a negative experience with their own insurer, which only partially covered Adami’s breast reduction surgery, which she said was needed for her back pain, leaving them with a bill for thousands.
“As far as I see it, Luigi killed one person, but health insurance companies destroy millions of lives every year,” Merril said.
Despite the strong words and support of Mangione — who is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel earlier this month — Merril insisted: “I don’t believe that murder is OK. I do not condone violence.”
But he suggested there was no other way to shine a light on the issue without resorting to violence.
“I do not want to live in a society where it’s eye for an eye… but when there is no recourse, there is no viable alternative,” he said.
Local resident David Carey, 38, suggested the cruelty of private insurance was far greater than the killing of Thompson, a married father of two from Minnesota.
“The reason something so violent happened is because violence has been happening consistently from the for-profit medical system this whole time,” Carey said. “It’s just not in the open. It’s done through paperwork and denials.”
The sentiments were echoed by others in the mass of twisted admirers outside the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where Mangione agreed to be extradited to the Big Apple to face murder charges for Thompson’s Dec. 4 execution.
A handful of people later gathered in Lower Manhattan to support Mangione as he made his first appearance in federal court — hailing him as a class war hero and celebrating his alleged crusade against the leaders of the American insurance healthcare system.
“I’ve been personally affected by lack of health insurance coverage …. There are CEOs that cause that. But if one man decides to snap, he’s treated as a terrorist,” said a young man outside the Manhattan courthouse, who also wore a green “Luigi” hat and declined to give his name.
“Of course murder is wrong, but there is nuance to the situation. We have to understand that it’s seen as an act of rebellion, although it’s terrible. But Luigi has become a symbol of sort of saying ‘We’re not okay with this,” he told The Post.
Elina Filipova, 36, a tech worker who lives in Brooklyn, also said she had extensive experience with the health insurance industry and said the case had brought systemic issues to the forefront.
“While no one really supports murder, I think what compelled him to go to this extreme step is potentially very interesting and may be very relatable to people,” she said of the suspected killer, while holding a sign that read “Healthcare Reform.”
“I know how the system works, and from what I know it’s really appalling,” she added.
Wendy Clark, 32, a receptionist from State College, agreed, speaking to The Post outside the Pennsylvania courthouse.
“If his actions start a wave of reformation in the healthcare industry that ultimately saves thousands of lives, then can you truly argue that he did the wrong thing?” she said.
“I trust the legal system, and I’m confident that he’ll go to prison for many years, if not his entire life, because he broke the law. And that’s for the best,” Clark added.
“But I think we all may be better off for what he did.”
Many of the signs seen outside both courthouses included the anti-health insurance company slogan, “Deny, Delay, Depose.”
The use of the three-word slogan has skyrocketed in popularity after it was reported that the ominous message was scribbled into bullet casings recovered at the Midtown murder scene.
The words appear to be a criticism of healthcare companies’ perceived schemes to limit medical claims in pursuit of profits — and play on the title of the 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
One protester, who only identified herself as a 25-year-old New Yorker, claimed the support for Mangione was not divisive despite suggesting Thompson’s murder was an act of class warfare.
“This is not about right vs left. It doesn’t matter if you voted for Trump. It doesn’t matter if you voted for Kamala. It’s about the top 1% making the rest of the us, the 99% of us, feel powerless,” she said.
“They’re making us feel poor, confused, angry, and pointing fingers at one another,” she added. “We all need to come together in this moment and realize that there are other options for reality that include peace and love and a better society that is not built off of corporate greed for profit.”
— Additional reporting by Steven Vago
