Dozens of goo-goo-eyed groupies waited in the freezing temps outside a Manhattan courthouse for hours Friday to try to get a seat at a hearing for alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
Some in the besotted bevy even hired so-called “line-sitters,” who they paid to wait in the cold for up to six hours to help them score a spot in the courtroom.
“There’s like a Ted Bundy effect on people,” said Brandon Sutton, one of the paid spot-savers — likening Mangione to the notoriously handsome but deranged 1970s serial killer.
Luigi Mangione, accused killer of US insurance CEO Brian Thompson, arrives for the hearing. AFP via Getty Images
Dozens of Luigi Mangione’s female fans braved freezing temperatures several hours before the 26-year-old accused killer was slated to appear Friday afternoon. LP Media
Mangione’s supporters waited to catch a glimpse of him at the court in Lower Manhattan. REUTERSSutton told The Post he was paid to stand in line from 1:45 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. to hold a spot for a fan.
“It was freezing cold, women were trying to cut in line,” said Sutton, 49, of Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Roughly 75 members of the public — mostly infatuated females — also crowded the hallway outside where Mangione’s case was due to be heard.
About a dozen of the suspect’s fans sported bright green Super Mario Bros “Luigi” hats while others donned maroon tops — the color Mangione wore when he was arraigned on murder charges in the disturbing case.
The alleged murderer’s fans were all hopeful for a chance to get into the courtroom and see Mangione. LP Media
A truck displaying digital art of Mangione was seen driving by the courthouse. Robert Miller
Only a handful of supporters were allowed into the courtroom, including one person wearing a ‘Free Luigi’ scarf. LP MediaAn estimated 70 demonstrators also rallied Friday afternoon near the courthouse steps — with some calling the accused killer a righteous crusader against America’s corrupt healthcare system.
Mangione — an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real-estate family — is accused of fatally shooting the healthcare boss in a cold-blooded execution Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel before leading authorities on a five-day manhunt and finally getting nabbed at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
His perceived little-guy fight against the behemoth industry — not to mention his dark good looks including trademark bushy black eyebrows — have won him legions of admirers.
“It’s time the corporations realize people can f–k them over like they f–k us over,” said Jabeze Pujols, a 21-year-old New York University student from Brooklyn.
“It’s sad it took violence, but [the murder] got people to open their eyes and started a conversation. He shined a light on the health insurance industry,” Pujols said of Mangione. “I want to see him found not guilty.”
Mangione’s fans have glorified the murderer, referring to him as a hero. Steven HirschMeanwhile, others tried to cash in on the circus-like spectacle outside the courthouse — including a blockchain business that flashed a massive digital image depicting Mangione as a saint on a truck.
The rolling billboard advertised a “$LUIGI blockchain token“ for a “decentralized healthcare system,” proclaiming, “It takes guts to put everything on the line” and, “Corporate greed won’t stop. Neither will we.”
Another woman was selling “Free Luigi” T-shirts for $40 a pop to raise money for Mangione’s legal defense fund.
Roughly 75 people — mostly women — crowded the hallway outside where Mangione’s case was due to be heard. LP Media
Mangione’s fans have called for him to be freed. Robert Miller“It’s never good for someone to die. At the same time, it’s not good for millions of people to die because they’re denied crucial medical procedures,” said the shirt seller, Kim, who declined to give her last name.
Also among the crowd of Mangione supporters was notorious military intelligence leaker Chelsea Manning, who reportedly said she was at the courthouse “exercising my Sixth Amendment right to observe our court proceedings.”
Fans at the rally waved signs reading, “Luigi before parasites” and, “Our suffering and death and their millions.” The demonstrators chanted “patients over profits!” and, “Healthcare is a human right!”
“I don’t agree with what he did, but I am sympathetic to the cause he promoted,” said Kevin Sigey, an NYU student who hails from Kenya, to The Post. “Violence has the ability to get eyes on what you’re trying to promote.”
A similar wild, pro-Luigi rally had erupted when the accused murderer first appeared in court in Pennsylvania in December on murder and terror charges tied to the case.
Since Mangione’s arrest, scores of fans have demanded that Mangione be “set free” and declared that slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson deserves “no empathy.”
The suspect has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, over the brazen slaying.
He appeared in shackles in court Friday to hear a judge refuse his lawyer’s bid for more time as federal prosecutors decide whether to pursue the death penalty against him
The alleged perp is currently holed up in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs.
