Folk Hero

This episode appears to be based on the 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. On December 4, 2024 Thompson was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown with a suppressed handgun. The killer, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested days later in Pennsylvania with a 3D-printed pistol, suppressor, fake ID, and a manifesto attacking the healthcare industry. Though never a UnitedHealthcare client, Mangione's actions sparked debate: some view him as a folk hero, raising over $750,000 for his defense, while most condemn the crime but sympathize with his grievances. Mangione faces 11 state charges in New York-including murder, terrorism, and multiple weapons offenses-carrying life without parole, plus four federal charges, including stalking, silencer use, and murder with a firearm, which could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.

ADA Maroun says they determined the bullets from the victim were fired from the defendant's gun with 100% accuracy. However no ballistics test is ever that accurate, and in real life it is far less accurate than depicted. When a bullet hits a hard target, like a person, it is often too deformed (especially if it hits bone or metal) to make a conclusive comparison. It is actually uncommon for a ballistics expert to say they can conclusively match a bullet to a specific gun, most of the time the best they can do is to conclusively say the bullet was fired from the same make, model and caliber as the gun in question.

References Espartaco (1960)