A former colleague of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed by Luigi Mangione, is not happy with the fans who give attention to the shooter.It has been one year since the executive was shot dead in Manhattan, but the case of Mangione is still ongoing.“It was the Luigi show,” said Terrie Martin, an independent Medicare broker from Texas who met Thompson at a conference months before his death, reports the New York Post.She described how Brian was an innocent family guy: “The whole thing just disgusts me — the way it was handled, the way it was portrayed, the way everybody jumped to celebrate when they weren’t even thinking this guy was a father, a husband, a boss or anything. That was just appalling.”50-year-old Thompson was fatally shot outside the Hilton Hotel in New York on December 4, 2024. The assassination was caught on camera. 26-year-old Mangione managed to flee New York but was arrested after a five-day manhunt at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Federal prosecutors ruled that Mangione was hostile towards the healthcare industry. Thompson’s accomplice said he bore no resemblance to the “caricature” painted by Mangione’s supporters. “He really and truly wanted to know how to make it better, nuts and bolts from people who are working on the ground in the trenches. What’s beneficial, what’s lacking, how can we make it better? He was really, really set on that very sincerely. He was actually trying to make a difference. That’s what made me so sad.”She recalled Thompson’s humility: “The one thing that I noticed from the very beginning was that everyone called him BT. They didn’t call him Brian or Mr. Thompson… I’ve never seen a dynamic like that before in corporate America.”Martin also remembered an awkward moment when she realised she had been speaking to the CEO. “He just laughed. He was so gracious about it. If you had met him anywhere like in line at a grocery store or a sporting event, you would never have guessed he was a CEO. Never. He was just such a really nice, humble, everyday kinda guy.”Earlier this week, a Manhattan judge reviewed key evidence in Mangione’s murder case, including a 911 call from the Altoona McDonald’s where he was arrested days after the killing. Prosecutors played surveillance footage of a masked gunman shooting Thompson. Mangione’s defence seeks to suppress evidence from his arrest, including a handgun, a magazine, and a notebook.Meanwhile, supporters gathered outside the court in costume, holding “Free Luigi” signs.
