Who is Luigi Mangione? 

No matter what the crime is, we’re always desperate for answers, for some way to understand why bad things happen… And yet somehow it feels different this time.

If was just the news not being able to shut up about Luigi Mangione, I could understand, but the fact that there are already multiple documentaries about a man who still hasn’t been convicted, well, it’s starting to make me a little uncomfortable. Perhaps this was inevitable from the moment we all realised he was hot. After all, our obsession with true crime has only been growing ever since the genre was invented, and what’s better than a true crime story with a sexy, sympathetic lead? Well, I can think of one thing: justice. And the more we try to answer the question of just who Luigi Mangione is, the further I think we get from that.

I assume you already know who Luigi Mangione is, but in case you’ve just woken up from a coma, he’s the guy who shot and killed the UnitedHealthcare CEO… ALLEGEDLY. That last word is really the key to all of this, because why the hell are we making true crime documentaries about a guy who hasn’t been convicted yet? It’s so funny to watch them, too, because they sound like they’re making all these well-informed, official statements regarding his guilt - until a sudden “allegedly” beaks the flow.

It’s even funnier to me that none of these documentaries are presenting anything new to us. There are always new angles to explore, new information that’s come out, but why bother doing that when you could just tow the line? The current media narrative is that while it’s understandable why some people admire Luigi, it’s still wrong, and he is a bad person who killed an “innocent dad who was just doing his job 🥺” - and the documentaries seem perfectly happy with that version of the story. At least from what I’ve seen of them, the cops and prosecutors are portrayed as calm, logical defenders of the law while anyone who sympathises with Luigi is overly emotional and irrational.

Wait a minute, though, let me take a step back here. I’m obviously being biased. Not only do I think Luigi is hot as hell, I absolutely agree with his politics and even kind of agree with what he did. After all, it’s not like anything else is changing the system at this point, so why not try something a little more direct and harder to ignore? Maybe I’m just mad that my folk-hero isn’t getting the love I think he deserves.

Except no. Really my biggest problem with everything that’s going on is that it’s clear evidence that our societal obsession with true crime has gone way too far. There were already ethical issues before, questions about the exploitation of victims and the glorification of some of the most evil people on the planet… But at least then, we were talking about cases that had already been decided in a court of law. This time, nobody can even say for sure that Luigi is guilty, and yet we’re acting like the case is closed.

Remember when people were sure the cops had gotten the wrong guy? Why aren’t we questioning things anymore? Well, it’s simple : we’ve been told the same story over and over again so often that we believe it.

The most common excuse I’ve heard from true crime media trying to fight accusations of poor ethics is that they’re helping find justice or educate people. The coverage of Luigi Mangione, though, is probably the most obvious example yet that at its core, true crime is just about entertainment. The documentaries aren’t teaching us anything new, and if anything they’re actually working against justice with their biased narratives. It’s a pantomime of neutrality and objectiveness, meant to make the audience feel good even if it costs a man his right to a fair trial.

Do we want to be this kind of society? Are we okay with entertainment coming above all else? I feel like it’s time we all go read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” again. I know the world is awful and we’re all just looking for something to distract us until we’re tired enough to go to sleep and start it all again tomorrow but… I don’t know, can’t we be just a little bit better than this?

So, who is Luigi Mangione? We don’t know, and maybe we never will thanks to all the outside forces trying to write the story before it’s even finished. What I do know, though, is that I’m going to take a step back from true crime for a while, and I’m going to start seriously considering whether or not everything else I’m watching is actually worthwhile or if it’s taking more than it’s giving me. Rather than seeking out answers about who others are, maybe it’s time we took a closer look at who we are. I’m beginning to think we might not like the answer.