Accused killer Luigi Mangione is back in the spotlight this week as his attorneys appear in a New York City courtroom for an important pretrial hearing in the case.
Mangione, 28, faces charges that he stalked and murdered the chief executive of a major health insurance company. While prosecutors have described him as a cold-blooded killer, he has attracted a wave of public sympathy and support from people around the world who have cast him as a kind of vigilante figure.
That outpouring of support has translated into real money for his legal defense — donors have contributed $1.5 million to help fund his case.
The case has drawn international attention, with a mural of Mangione even appearing in the Bethnal Green neighborhood of London, England, illustrating just how far his notoriety has spread beyond the United States.
