By Mark W. Fowler

(Editor’s note: Read Part I here.)

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” —Joseph Conrad

Luigi Mangione had a charmed life. Intelligent, handsome, and privileged, he was on a path to success. Born to wealth, he went to a private school where he was valedictorian of his class. He earned a degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. Those who crossed his path often describe him as a “great guy.”

Somewhere he lost his way — or, more accurately, he abandoned his way. In December 2024, his darkness led him to murder Brian Thompson — father, husband, and CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson in the back via ambush, a particularly cowardly form of homicide. He fled to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended following a tip from a McDonald’s restaurant employee. This homicide is no different from the approximately 20,000 homicides committed each year in the United States except in one respect — the degree to which Mangione is being lionized by some segments of society.

Mangione is entitled to a presumption of innocence, of course, but when arrested, he possessed a note in which he confessed to the crime, and a manifesto was found decrying his perception of unfairness in the health insurance industry. Toward that end, he chose to target Thompson and kill him as a form of protest. For this depravity, he is being hailed as a folk hero. He has thousands of followers on his website and has raised over a million dollars for his legal defense. Protestors line up to vie for a seat in the courthouse when he has hearings.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, given the preexisting depravity in San Francisco, that a musical play about Mangione is being produced there. This play is a comedy premised on the notion that Mangione, Sam Bankman-Freid, and Sean “Diddy” Combs share a cell. One strains to find humor in any of that.

There is more. Mangione’s followers took to social media to give the McDonald’s restaurant where Mangione was arrested a series of one-star reviews, claiming it was full of “rats” — a play on words for the employee “ratting out” Mangione. Who knows what Mangione’s next step was?

The Department of Justice is seeking the death penalty — perhaps a bit of a stretch given the banality of the murder. Mangione is also facing state charges in New York.

The attorneys will make the usual motions and ridiculous claims about government overreach, the innocence of their client, and the unfairness of the publicity. In the absence of gross incompetence of prosecutors, Mangione will be convicted or plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. He will get his due, absent interference from District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

But what can be said of a society in which significant numbers of people think he is a hero? Who endorses murder as a form of social protest? The acclamation that Mangione is receiving amounts to a moral stain on the fabric of society. Insurance companies are easy targets. Dealing with them can be difficult; they often deny claims when patients are under the most dire circumstances. But is assassination the next step in the evolution of protest that leftists defend as “mostly peaceful” even as fires raged in the background, billions of dollars of property were destroyed, and many were hurt?

Imagine the outcry if Mangione had killed a doctor performing abortions.

One last thing: Mangione had no contractual relationship with UnitedHealthcare. None.

Mark Fowler is a board-certified physician and former attorney. He can be reached at [email protected].