Gun assassin suspect Luigi Mangione could be the face of unexpected Christmas gifts this year after an explosion in online merchandise sporting his mugshot.
Mangione Merch is trending on social media shopping sites such as TikTok after enterprising traders leaped on the worldwide obsession with his chiselled good-looks – despite retailers attempting to ban them from sale
On Monday, police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, released the mugshot of the 26-year-old suspect hours before he was arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Yesterday a black T-shirt featuring a collage of photos of Mangione surrounded by bullets that appear to be engraved with “Deny, Defend, Depose” — the words police say were written on the casings of the bullets that killed Thompson and that echo a phrase insurers use to avoid paying claims, was selling for around £20.
They are accompanied by more T-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, stickers and shot glasses.
Even Christmas ornaments featuring the slogan “Deny, Defend, Depose” are mushrooming all over the internet. Another shirt referencing Mangione’s Italian-American heritage via a memorable line from The Sopranos: “In This house Luigi Mangione is a hero, end of story” is proving popular, despite internet shopping giants trying to remove the tasteless products from sale.
Online marketplaces generally prohibit the sale of items that glorify violence, but that prohibition does not extend to all Mangione-related merchandise.
A spokesperson for eBay said they do not prohibit the sale of items with the phrase ‘Deny. Defend. Depose,’ but added: “Items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.”
Amazon has however removed all merchandise related to Mangione, including “FREE LUIGI” totes and mugs that were briefly available on the site.
A spokesman said the “content violated the site’s guidelines.”
Pennsylvania Gov ernor Josh Shapiro said: “Some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer.”
Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a wealthy family was arrested Monday in Altoona after a customer at a McDonald’s spotted him. He faces charges of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon in the third-degree. He was denied bail on Tuesday and is fighting extradition to New York.
