大象传媒

Accused of murder, Luigi Mangione鈥檚 case went viral. Jordan Dunbar presents a timeline of events, and with the help of guests Terri Austin and Joel Finkelstein, he examines the response to what happened.

Brian Thompson was a father of two and in December 2024 he was shot dead in broad daylight on the streets of New York, America鈥檚 biggest city. He left behind a shattered, grieving family. He was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the United States.

We try to understand why such a shocking case had such a reaction online and on social media. Why was there such a response to Mangione on TikTok and Reddit? Why is there such fascination from some people with individuals who are accused of such serious crimes? We unpick the facts and conspiracy theories behind the case.

Luigi Mangione denies the charges he faces.

Guests: Terri Austin, former trial attorney for the NYC Law Department and legal analyst as well as Joel Finkelstein, director of the Network Contagion Research Institute, which analysis hate and extremism on social media.

If you want to watch this podcast, it is also available on the 大象传媒 World Service's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/p-TntofsVfY