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It’s a killer birthday gift.
The legal defense fund for Luigi Mangione reached more than $1 million in donations Tuesday, with droves of starry-eyed supporters pitching in to help the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin on his 27th birthday.
“Happy 27th Birthday to the man, the myth, the legend. You are so loved. May you stay healthy and strong and keep the fighting spirit inside you,” one anonymous fan wrote while donating $27 on Mangione’s birthday.
“This is my 7th donation, and I will keep donating as long as I need to. You are fighting for your life, but know there is an ARMY behind you. We are not going anywhere.”
The crowdfunding campaign on the GiveSendGo fundraising website raked in $1,042,800 as of Tuesday afternoon, with 28,000 contributions averaging $27 in recent weeks, according to a press release by the December 4 Legal Committee.
Cultish supporters forked over $27 “as a way to celebrate Mr. Mangione’s birthday, which is today, May 6,” the committee said.
The money will go toward Mangione’s defense for his three pending legal cases.
Mangione, an Ivy league grad turned accused murderer, is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown on Dec. 4.
The shocking, cold-blooded murder led legions of fangirls flocking to Mangione’s court appearances and protesters denouncing the healthcare industry.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to murder, stalking and a firearms offense at his Manhattan federal death penalty case last month.
Sam Beard, a spokesperson for the December 4 Legal Committee, called the former tech whiz a “folk hero” among millions.
“The milestone was reached because of the continued resonance of Mr. Mangione’s story,” he said in a statement on the fundraising website.
“He has become a contemporary folk hero, understood by millions to be a brave, righteous American concerned with the lived experience of the common man.”
English (US)