In a recent social media video, a German mother surprised her daughter with a birthday cake featuring an image of Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Newsweek has reached out to Mangione's legal team via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The birthday cake image comes after reactions to Mangione's arrest have captured and polarized the United States after a significant amount of the American public indicated they may be supportive of the suspect. Many have come to view Mangione as a sort of folk hero—expressing their outrage and frustration with the U.S.'s private health insurance industry. Others condemn him for his alleged crimes, which could result in life in prison and possibly the death penalty.
Since he first faced murder and terrorism charges over the killing of Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two on December 4 in New York City, the 26-year-old suspect has received social media posts in support, comments about his attractiveness, young women attending court sessions and even depictions comparing him to Jesus.
What To Know
According to the video posted by Selin Erzurum, the birthday girl from Geislingen, Germany, can be seen laughing as she cuts into the cake with an image of Mangione from when he landed in New York City following extradition from Pennsylvania in December.
Mangione previously agreed to be extradited to New York from Pennsylvania where he was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona a few days after Thompson's murder. In Pennsylvania, he faces charges of gun possession and carrying false identification. Mangione has pled not guilty to those charges.
"Happy birthday my love, sorry I can't be at your party this time," was printed on the cake.
Erzurum told Storyful that the cake came after she had been telling her mother about the "unserious and ridiculous" comments and videos that have been circulating online concerning Mangione.
"At first she did not get the hype and then started laughing at the comments online. So [she] made the cake as a joke because all of my friends are basically crushing on him too... just like all of social media," she told Storyful.
This is not the first time a cake has been made with Mangione's image at the center as a post on the social media platform Threads from a Mangione fan page, luigi.mangione.news, also showed a cake with an image of Mangione being decorated.
The increased support and use of Mangione's image comes after he appeared in court on December 19 to face four federal charges, including two counts of stalking, one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty, and a firearms offense. He has denied the charges. He also pleaded "not guilty" on December 23 to 11 state criminal counts, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism.
Mangione has gathered support online since he was arrested, and after his court appearance, one photo of him smiling in court, and another in the backseat of a car when leaving court, went viral on the internet.
In addition, a video of a crowd showing support for Mangione outside his jail has gone viral on social media.
In the clip, people can be seen ringing bells and banging buckets, while a placard reading "FREE THEM ALL" laid on the ground. About 20 people can be seen outside Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, New York City's only federal jail.
On Friday, when the video was shared, the post had been viewed more than 590,000 times and received more than 81,000 likes.
What People Are Saying
Mangione's lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo in court: "I am very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial in this case. He is being prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote last month in a social media post: "I want to thank all the individuals and law enforcement who helped bring this suspect into custody. The NYPD stops at nothing to catch criminals."
President-elect Donald Trump told reporters last month: "I think it's a terrible thing. I think it's really terrible that some people seem to admire him, like him."
What Happens Next
Mangione is currently being held without bail in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. His next federal court appearance is set for January 18 and he is due back in state court on February 21.
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