The Mangione Trial (BBC World Service)

Accused of murder, Luigi Mangione’s case went viral. We unpick the facts and conspiracies. Mangione has been charged with killing health care chief executive Brian Thompson. He was shot in broad daylight in New York in December 2024, leaving behind a shattered, grieving family. He was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.

We will be trying to understand how such a shocking case set the internet and social media alight. Why was there such a reaction to Mangione on TikTok and Reddit? Why is there such fascination with people who are accused of such serious crimes? We will explore the US health industry and wider attitudes to capitalism and corporations.

Luigi Mangione was eventually arrested at a McDonald's in the town of Altoona in Pennsylvania. How did a wealthy American college student, a class valedictorian with a seemingly perfect future, become the subject of a nationwide manhunt? His arrest has sparked countless conspiracy theories.

We will follow the case and unpack the facts.