A D.C. bar held an event Monday for patrons to write love letters to Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murder in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York City last year.
Paper hearts with messages such as “U R Cute,” “Let’s Make Out” and “Will you be my valentine?” were spread out on a circular table toward the back of Snappy’s Small Bar in Petworth as prospective pen pals — mostly women in their 20s and 30s — wrote their letters to the 26-year-old Mr. Mangione.
Two young parents with their baby went over to the table to grab supplies at one point, and even appeared to have their child help them seal their envelope as well.
None of the participants wanted to speak with The Washington Times about the letter campaign to Mr. Mangione, who became a cult hero and heartthrob for those upset with the nation’s health-care system when he was linked to the Dec. 4 slaying of UHC executive Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan.
One man even tried to create some ironic detachment from writing to the federal prisoner currently locked up in Brooklyn by saying he was actually crafting his letter to Luigi from the Super Mario video-game franchise.
Instructions for what could not be sent with the letter — such as explicit photos, cash or discussing Mr. Mangione’s ongoing case where he is facing terrorism-related murder charges, among several others — were sitting on the table where pens, paper and stamps were provided.
A bartender at Snappy’s said the idea came about because patrons had been vandalizing their bathroom walls with messages to Mr. Mangione. The graffiti ranged from straightforward statements of “Free Luigi” to more tongue-in-cheek sentiments, such as “Luigi Got Big T—,” a play on “LGBT.”
The bartender also said whether or not people mail their letters is up to them; he said the bar isn’t going to do it on their behalf.
It’s a different tone than how the event was first advertised on Snappy’s Instagram account earlier this month.
“We are going to get out our best stationary so you can pen down some lusty sentences, but don’t go throwing the book at him. Yeah that’s correct we are gonna mail your love letters to Luigi!” Snappy’s wrote about the Valentine’s Day-themed event in its Feb. 1 post.
“We have seen your out cries on the walls of the snoopy bathroom to liberate your sweet little alleged assassin from right outside of charm city and we want to make a safe space for you to get your lead out and make your feelings known,” it stated.
In honor of Mr. Mangione’s Italian roots, the bar offered a supersized version of its Spaghett house cocktail for Monday night only.
Social media confessionals about sending the accused killer letters — and how it makes the authors’ hearts go pitter-patter — became a trend in the weeks after Mr. Mangione’s arrest.
“Honestly, it feels cathartic and sexy to want to do something and then do it — I mean writing a letter,” one TikTok user said in a video posted late last year, according to the New York Post. “Even the act of just mailing something, mailing your words in the mailbox, mmph!”
“Killing someone that has taken thousands of people’s lives himself is not wrong [in my opinion],” she told the Post.
Another TikTok user told the newspaper she finds Mr. Mangione “fine” and that he “didnt really do anything wrong [to be honest].
Being considered a hunk helped elevate Mr. Mangione into a cultlike figure in some activist circles, where his biggest fans view the health care industry as predatory and unsupportive of people needing treatment. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on three bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson’s killing. They are thought to refer to common phrases insurance companies use to refuse claims.
Mr. Mangione’s alleged manifesto also railed against rising costs but poorer health outcomes.
“A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No,” Mr. Mangione allegedly wrote.
The manifesto said health care companies “have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allwed them to get away with it.”
An online campaign has raised nearly $295,000 for Mr. Mangione’s legal defense. The fundraiser aims to raise half a million dollars.
An intensive, multistate manhunt for Thompson’s killer ended when Mr. Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in central Pennsylvania.
Police said Mr. Mangione had the murder weapon, a fake ID he used to check into a hostel in New York City and the manifesto when he was arrested. Investigators later matched his DNA with samples taken at the crime scene.
Thompson, 50, left behind his wife and two children.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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