Michael Moore Weighs in On Luigi Mangione's 'Triple-D' Bullet Casings Code — Years After Filmmaker Hit Out at Brutal Health Insurance Industry in 'Sicko'
Moore has shamed the healthcare industry in the past.
Dec. 13 2024, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Michael Moore, best known for his eye-opening documentaries, has broken his silence on Luigi Mangione, the alleged gunman behind UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder.
Mangione is accused of shooting and killing the 50-year-old executive outside of the Hilton Hotel in New York City, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Moore is best known for his hard-hitting documentaries including 'Sicko'.
According to investigators, bullet castings found at the crime scene were carved with the words “deny”, “depose”, and “defend”, similar to the title of Jay M. Feinman's 2010 book, Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claim and What You Can Do About.
The book is critical of the insurance industry and accuses companies of developing "unethical practices of delaying or denying legitimate claims".
In a Substack from earlier this month, Moore addressed the shooting as well as the eerie message left on the bullet castings.
The filmmaker has been critical of America's healthcare system.
He wrote: "All we know now is that the bullet casings used in the killing of the CEO included the inscriptions, ‘Deny,’ ‘Defend,’ or ‘Depose’—which could mean everything, or nothing.
"They could have just as easily said, ‘From my cold dead hands,’ or ‘Make America Great Again,’ or ‘Half-Off Tuesdays at Applebee’s!’"
The filmmaker then called out the US healthcare system, describing it as “ugly” and “heartless".
Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 70-year-old continued: "To help prove my point, please take a moment to let me share with you this extended clip from my Oscar-nominated documentary, Sicko, about the origin and history of our health insurance industry and how it makes money off of us.”
Moore then uploaded a segment of the film to YouTube, titled Deny, Defend, Depose.
Sicko, released in 2007, finds Moore comparing America's healthcare system to other nations and highlights citizens whose lives have been severely impacted by healthcare catastrophes.
Mangione was arrested on Monday and had a bag of suspected evidence with him including several fake IDs, a "ghost gun" and a silencer. He is also said to have had a handwritten "manifesto" detailing his grievances against healthcare insurance companies, and mentioned Moore as someone who has “illuminated the corruption and greed” of the healthcare industry.
The manifesto reportedly stated: "It had to be done. These parasites had it coming. I don't want to cause any trauma, but it had to be done."
A notebook found Mangione reportedly included a page referencing a plot to take out Thompson using a bomb, but he aborted the plan because it "could kill innocents".
The 26-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Mangione is said to have withdrawn from his family and friends sometime last year, when he appears to have gone into an isolated mental health spiral due to severe back pain.
R.J. Martin, a former roommate and the founder of co-living space Surfbreak, claims Mangione suffered chronic back pain from an apparent pinched nerve and friends stopped hearing from him this summer.
"I loved this guy. In some ways I feel like my members are my kids," Martin said following Mangione's arrest.
Before the crime, Mangione had also tweeted about psilocybin online – also known as magic mushrooms, and added a book titled Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide and Mushrooms of Hawai’i: An Identification Guide to his Goodreads.
The Ivy league grad was charged with second-degree murder. He is expected to plead not guilty.
