On Friday, Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court to stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024, by shooting him in the back at point blank range outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan. Even the liberal media almost unanimously reported that Mangione, who had attained hero status to some on the radical left, had showed no remorse while admitting his guilt, or said nothing at all about his demeanor, but on Friday night CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront, found an exception.
Friday morning, minutes after the guilty plea, on CNN's Inside Politics, Dana Bash brought on Correspondent Kara Scannell, who was in the courtroom, to get her take.
SCANNELL: As he explained his motivation for committing this murder, he said he was essentially failed by the healthcare system.... And then he described how he had made a partial gun, using a 3D printer, added a silencer, and then intentionally shot Brian Thompson. He shot him dead, and he said that he knew what he was doing was illegal....There was not a sense of remorse in Luigi Mangione's voice. He just stated it as a fact.
Scannell would again refer to Mangione, this time getting more specific.
SCANNELL: And at that moment, I again saw a big reaction in that front row by Brian Thompson's family members, again grabbing themselves, wiping tears from their eyes, kind of just hearing the coldness of this murder, this assassination that had taken place, and throughout Mangione not showing any signs of remorse, being very calm in his speaking, no voice cracking, no reaction, and he didn't look over toward the family when he said this and then he was escorted out of the court.
Later on Friday's NBC Nightly News, correspondent Stephanie Gosk reported from outside the courthouse: "He shot the husband and father of two children in back and today showed no remorse for what he did." And while neither ABC or CBS's nightly newscasts weighed in on Mangione's demeanor, over on the PBS News Hour, Justice Correspondent Ali Rogan, reported that Mangione, "Expressed no contrition or remorse."
But over on CNN, Burnett introduced sketch artist Christine Cornell, who was in the courtroom for it all, and she had a most unique take on Mangione.
CORNELL: You know, I've been watching Mangione now through many hearings. In the very beginning, there was something a little bit distance-y about him. He carried himself not exactly cocky, but as if he was somehow out of touch with what was going on around him. I thought he looked like a husky, you know, nice markings, but what's going on up here?
Today we saw that crack. His voice shook when he put his hand up close to his face. Honestly, I think he was right on the verge of crying, although he did not. He was feeling it though.
I mean, you said, oh my goodness, the man actually has empathy and has a sense of what he's what he's admitting to here. So, it was -- I guess it was something. It was very surreal, but it's kind of a relief.
Burnett then appeared to want to clear up some of Cornell's observations, and would go on to make it clear that she, herself, sees nothing sympathetic about Mangione.
BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, when you're talking about his voice shaking, verge of crying, he didn't actually cry.
Did you see or hear how they (Thompson's family) reacted -- Was there any relationship between what he was saying and the people whose lives he so destroyed?
CORNELL: Luigi never ever turned to look at anyone in the audience today, he was completely focused on what he was doing here.
Burnett then asked about Mangione's possible motives for reading his confession.
BURNETT: Could you tell whether he was playing the room in a sense? You use the word empathy....obviously you can't be inside someone's mind, but did you see it as remorse or possibly that he was playing up the moment to the judge?
CORNELL: Absolutely not playing up the moment. Absolutely not. I thought it was the first time I saw him maybe even think a thought that didn't have to be about him.
And I really thought it was genuine. Especially since it didn't turn into tears. He held himself back.
BURNETT: Right, right, because he controlled, that's an interesting point, that he could do, yes.
And that would be all for Cornell, who was the lone guest on the subject following a taped report and brief live follow-up. We don't know if Burnett knew how her guest would portray the murderer, and although she appeared to slightly push back on her, she certainly didn't go far enough. This is CNN!
