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As New York City prosecutors worked Thursday to bring murder charges against Luigi Mangione in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , supporters of the suspect are donating tens of thousands of dollars for a defense fund established for him, leaving law enforcement officials worried Mangione is being turned into a martyr. Several online defense funds have been created for Mangione by anonymous people, including one on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that as of Thursday afternoon had raised over $50,000. The GiveSendGo defense fund for the 26-year-old Mangione was established by an anonymous group calling itself "The December 4th Legal Committee," apparently in reference to the day Mangione allegedly ambushed and gunned down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as the executive walked to his company's shareholders conference at the New York Hilton hotel. "We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation," the anonymous group said in a statement. The crowdfunding campaign prompted donations from more than 1,500 anonymous donors across the country, many of them leaving messages of support for Mangione, including one person who called themselves "A frustrated citizen" and thanked Mangione for "sparking the awareness and thought across this sleeping nation." The GiveSendGo fund for Mangione appeared to be briefly taken down before it was restored on Thursday. GiveSendGo did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment. Other crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe have also taken down campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione's defense. "GoFundMe's Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes," the crowdfunding website said in a statement. "The fundraisers have been removed from our platform and all donors have been refunded." Amazon and Etsy have removed from their websites merchandise featuring Mangione, including T-shirts and tote bags reading "Free Luigi" and the phrase "Deny, Defend, Depose," words police said were etched in the shell casings discovered at the scene of Thompson's homicide. "Celebrating this conduct is abhorrent to me. It's deeply disturbing," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told ABC News senior investigative reporter Aaron Katersky in an interview Wednesday night. "And what I would say to members of the public, people who as you described are celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action, that we will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable. We are at the ready." Prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorney's office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to try to secure an indictment against Mangione, sources told ABC News on Thursday. Mangione's attorney, Thomas Dickey of Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested Monday following a five-day manhunt, said his client is presumed innocent and will plead not guilty to any charges filed against him. Mangione is contesting extradition to New York. Asked about people contributing to Mangione defense funds that have popped up, Dickey said, "People are entitled to their opinion and, like I said, if you're an American and you believe in the American criminal justice system, you have to presume him to be innocent and none of us would want anything other than that if that were us in their shoes. So, I'm glad he had some support." But law enforcement officials have expressed concern that Mangione is being turned into a martyr. Someone this week pasted "wanted posters" outside the New York Stock Exchange naming other executives. A bulletin released Wednesday by the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, a multi-agency law enforcement intelligence-sharing network based in Philadelphia, included a photo of a banner hanging from an overpass reading, "Deny, Defend, Depose." "Many social media users have outright advocated for the continued killings of CEOs with some aiming to spread fear by posting 'hit lists,'" the bulletin, obtained by ABC News, reads. Meanwhile, New York Police Department investigators continue to build a murder case against Mangione, who is being held in Pennsylvania on charges stemming from his arrest there, including illegal possession of ghost gun and fraudulent identification. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania. On Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the three shell casings recovered at the scene of Thompson's shooting matched the gun found in Mangione possession when he was arrested. She also confirmed that Mangione's fingerprints were recovered from a water bottle and the wrapper of a granola bar found near the crime scene.
Shoppers were left scratching their heads in bemusement as Easter eggs appearedd onto supermarket shelves even before the close of the year. Gripped by festive bewilderment, social media was abuzz with people sharing their sightings of early-bird Easter treats in stores such as Morrisons, Tesco, and Asda, well ahead of Easter Sunday's April 20 calendar slot. One bewildered customer, @Jingle1991, posted a picture on Christmas Eve showing Malteser Bunnies lined up in Sainsbury’s, wryly noting: "Jesus hasn’t even been born yet." In Margate, local Gary Evans took to Twitter to showcase Creme Eggs on display in Morrison’s on Boxing Day, describing the premature push as crazy and lamenting the commercial rush, saying, "I just think its crazy that everything is so superficial and meaninglessly commercial... (there’s) something quite frantic about it," in conversation with the PA news agency. Stoke-on-Trent's Joseph Robinson encountered Easter sweets spanning Cadbury Mini Eggs to themed Kit-Kat and Kinder surprises at his local Morrisons on Friday, saying: "It’s funny, as they’ve not even managed to shift the Christmas chocolates off the shelves yet and they’re already stocking for Easter." Mike Chalmers, a devout Christian from Chippenham, Wiltshire, expressed a measured view upon seeing a display titled: "Celebrate this Easter with Cadbury." He remarked, "Christmas and Easter are the two centrepoints of the Christian good news story so it’s no bad thing to see the connections," and added, "It’s about more than shapes of chocolate though! " Meanwhile, marketing consultant Andrew Wallis, who was taken aback by the sight of Easter eggs in the Co-op at Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, considered it indicative of "forward-thinking" by major corporations. Sharing his thoughts with PA, the 54 year old from the Isle of Man, who advises the fitness industry on marketing, said, "It made me reflect on how big brands are always thinking ahead and planning early," He advised retailers, "My message to retailers would be: while planning ahead is important, it’s also essential to be mindful of consumer sentiment. "Ten years of Labor rule in Victoria has changed the state. or signup to continue reading Under premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, Victoria has embarked on a decade-long infrastructure agenda and raft of Australian-leading social reforms. But no state had more COVID-19 lockdowns, net debt is climbing and the government has faced a series of scandals, as well as criticism over its lack of transparency and accountability. The Andrews government ministry was sworn in after Labor ended four years of Liberal rule under Denis Napthine and Ted Baillieu on November 29, 2014. The 2014 state election was effectively a referendum on Melbourne's East West Link project. Mr Andrews had pledged to rip up the contract to build the contentious toll road if Labor was victorious and ordered the suspension of all work in his first weeks as premier. The state's auditor-general later the total cost of cancelling the project topped $1.1 billion. To soften the blow, Labor promised to build the Metro Tunnel and remove 50 level rail crossings. While over budget, the Metro Tunnel is due to open to fanfare in 2025 and the level crossing removal program has been expanded and hailed as one of Labor's greatest achievements. Socially, Victoria enacted laws to ban anti-abortion protesters harassing women outside clinics and became the first state to pass voluntary assisted dying laws in 2017. But it wasn't long until the government was in turmoil. Minister Adem Somyurek stood down after being accused of bullying, Steve Herbert quit cabinet for using his taxpayer-funded driver to chauffeur his two dogs and former speaker Telmo Languiller and his deputy Don Nardella were exposed rorting an allowance for country members. The biggest scandal of the lot was "red shirts rorts". A found 21 past and present Labor MPs breached parliamentary guidelines by wrongly approving $388,000 in taxpayer funds be spent on campaign staff before the 2014 election. The money was repaid by the party and no charges were laid by police. Nonetheless, Labor swept to a second term with a huge majority in what was known as the "Danslide". Bushfires, a global pandemic and a high-profile corruption probe knocked Labor's second term off course. After setting up a into the state's "broken" mental health system, Victoria was plunged into one of its worst bushfire seasons in memory. The 2019-20 black summer bushfires burned more than 1.5 million hectares of Victorian land, killing five people and razing more than 400 homes. But the scale of the devastation paled in comparison to what came next. Mr Andrews declared a state of emergency in March 2020 as COVID locked down the entire country. As Victoria was cautiously reopening, cases leaked out of the state hotel quarantine system, sparking a second COVID-19 lockdown for Melbourne that ultimately ran for 112 days. The premier, ministers, bureaucrats and agency officials fronted a into hotel quarantine breaches, but none said they could recall whose idea it was to use private security. In June 2020, Mr Andrews sacked Mr Somyurek from his cabinet - following his return to the frontbench in 2018 - after Channel Nine aired allegations of branch stacking and a recording of him using offensive language about a ministerial colleague. He was the first of four ministers to depart in the fallout. A subsequent by the corruption watchdog and ombudsman exposed misuse of taxpayer resources but again did not recommend any criminal charges. In the middle of the separate crises, Mr Andrews spent 111 days off work after fracturing his spine and breaking several ribs in a fall. He and other MPs also became the target of fierce, and at times violent, opposition to pandemic-specific laws passed in late 2021 following Melbourne's sixth and final lockdown. The COVID-fuelled community anger and division did not dent Labor electorally as Mr Andrews steered it to another thumping win. Cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria was among Daniel Andrews' final acts as premier. He called a snap press conference in July 2023 to pull the pin on the event, citing estimated costs blowing out from $2.6 billion to between $6 billion to $7 billion. In September 2023, just days after handing down a landmark , Mr Andrews announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for heir apparent Ms Allan to replace him. Both Mr Andrews and Ms Allan forced backbench MPs Will Fowles and Darren Cheeseman out of the Labor party room over past instances of alleged misconduct, reducing its numbers in the lower house. Mr Fowles was investigated by police but not charged, while Mr Cheeseman has not publicly addressed complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff. Ms Allan's first 12 months in the top job were dogged by a parliamentary inquiry and journalists probing the decision to cancel the Games. She confirmed lawyers were hired to provide advice on Victoria withdrawing on June 14 2023, a full month before the Games decision was announced. The premier denied misleading Victorian parliament on June 13, when as the then responsible minister she told a budget estimates hearing the state was making "tremendous progress" on delivering the Games and gave no indication of budgetary concerns. The auditor-general later that abandoning the event cost the state more than $589 million, including a $380 million settlement. Ms Allan has since backflipped on several controversial policies backed by her old boss, including plans to set up a supervised injecting room in Melbourne's CBD and raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14. The long-serving Bendigo East MP has instead staked her premiership on housing, repeatedly describing herself as a builder not a blocker. For all the controversy surrounding construction of the Suburban Rail Loop, a proposed 90km rail line orbiting Melbourne, a planned statue of Mr Andrews might be the government's most contentious build. State premiers who spent more than 3000 days in the top job are immortalised in bronze statues outside government offices in central Melbourne, under a rule introduced by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett. The process to install one for Mr Andrews is under way. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
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