Several online crowdfunding initiatives have been created for Mangione, with one of them, GiveSendGo, raising over $50,000 as of Thursday afternoon, the broadcaster said, adding that it was created by an anonymous group calling itself "The December 4th Legal Committee," referencing the day Thompson was killed.
Over 1,500 people have donated to the cause, a GiveSendGo spokesperson told the broadcaster, adding that the platform "operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence."
Some other crowdfunding websites, like GoFundMe, have halted their donations for Mangione's legal defense. GoFundMe said that its policies prohibit gathering of funds for the defense of individuals who committed violent crimes.
Brian Thompson was shot dead outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan on December 4. Several shell casings with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" written on them, as well as a cellphone, were found at the scene.
Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 9. During his detention, the police found fake IDs, a 3D-printed pistol and silencer, as well as a handwritten manifesto denouncing the health insurance industry. Mangione has reportedly been charged with second-degree murder by prosecutors in New York and is fighting his extradition from Pennsylvania.