Two men accused of high-profile murders — Tyler Robinson and Luigi Mangione — appeared in court this week, but the biggest surprise wasn’t just the charges. Both have drawn unexpected waves of public sympathy, sparking debate over why some Americans are justifying acts of violence.
What Happened in Court
Luigi Mangione appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday in connection with the December killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. While prosecutors dropped some of the top counts, Mangione still faces multiple state and federal charges.
Outside the courthouse, video showed Mangione’s supporters cheering the partial legal win — a display that shocked many observers.
Tyler Robinson, meanwhile, continues to face public scrutiny following the recent death of political activist Charlie Kirk. Both Thompson and Kirk were husbands and fathers whose deaths have ignited anger nationwide.
Douglas Murray’s Warning
Douglas Murray, a New York Post contributor, joined Fox News’ America’s Newsroom to condemn what he sees as a dangerous cultural shift.
“The terrorists and the assassins and the murderers now have this growing number of people who seem frankly … to treat life as if it’s some kind of computer game,” Murray said. “As though you just take people out and there’s no consequences.”
Murray argued that while fringe sympathies for killers are not new, what’s alarming now is the normalization of “excuses” by both everyday Americans and even political figures.
Political Reactions
Murray pointed to comments from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who told The Huffington Post:
“Violence is never the answer, but people can only be pushed so far.”
He suggested remarks like these risk legitimizing violence as a response to political or policy disagreements.
President Donald Trump echoed similar concerns following Kirk’s assassination, warning about the “deep, dark holes” of social media he described as “cancerous.”
The Bigger Picture: Violence, Politics, and Social Media
Murray tied Robinson and Mangione’s cases to a broader cultural problem: dehumanization.
“We have to address this thing of why so many segments of the political left have been able to dehumanize their opponents,” he said. “It means that the faceless person online can get away with making their opponent faceless as well — and taking away their life for nothing and no reason.”
The debate highlights growing fears that toxic political rhetoric and online radicalization are fueling support for violence, even in cases where the crimes appear clear-cut.
This story is developing and will be updated with new details as they emerge.
