The nation watched in disbelief as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested and federally charged in the December killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — an ambush that prosecutors say was premeditated and targeted. This was not a random act of street violence but an allegedly calculated assassination outside a Manhattan hotel, and Americans deserve straight facts about who did this and why.
The Justice Department moved quickly and forcefully, with Attorney General Pam Bondi directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the federal case — a reflection of the administration’s view that this was ideologically motivated political violence. Conservatives who believe in law and order will support a full, fair prosecution that delivers justice for the victim and his family while protecting the rule of law.
What should alarm every decent American is the pop-culture reaction: a “Free Luigi” meme and celebrity clapback that treats the suspect like a folk hero rather than the accused killer of a father and executive. Comedians and influencers cheering or trivializing the case — whether blustering “Free Luigi” shouts or tasteless endorsements — reveal how unserious our cultural elites have become about violence and victims.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel went a step further by publicly reading alleged staff messages that gushed over the accused shooter’s appearance, joking that a “wave of horny” had washed over his team — a grotesque normalizing and even sexualizing of a man accused of murder. This isn’t edgy comedy; it’s a moral failure from a media figure who should know better, and it cheapens the suffering of the victim’s grieving family.
At the same time, a federal judge has warned Justice Department officials after defense lawyers argued that public comments by officials risk prejudicing the case, underscoring the need for careful balance between robust prosecution and preserving defendants’ constitutional rights. Conservatives champion both the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and accountability for those who break the law; the two are not mutually exclusive, and neither should be sacrificed to social media grandstanding.
Hardworking Americans should demand better from our cultural gatekeepers: stop glamorizing violence, stop turning criminals into cause celebs, and start treating victims with the dignity they deserve. If the left’s media class wants to play with fire by normalizing or romanticizing murderous acts, they should be called out — and if the system needs to deliver justice, it must do so swiftly, transparently, and without political theater.
