A professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League institution UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione attended, is retracting her social media posts that appeared to praise him.
Julia Alekseyeva, an Assistant Professor of English and Cinema and Media Studies, posted a TikTok video on Monday night swaying her left index finger back and forth to the tune of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Misérables.
She wrote: “Have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.” The post appeared to refer to Mangione’s prior attendance at the university, where he obtained undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. He also worked as a teaching assistant at the university after graduation.
Alekseyeva separately called Mangione, 26, “the icon we all need and deserve” in an Instagram story and reposted a joke article with the headline “Man engages in beautiful Italian tradition of taking matters into his own hands.”
Jeffrey Kallberg, deputy dean of the university’s School of Arts and Sciences, issued a statement on Wednesday calling the social media posts “antithetical” to the institution’s values.
The postings were “not condoned by the school or university,” he wrote. “Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them. We welcome this correction and regret any dismay or concern this may have caused.”
In her own statement on Tuesday, Alekseyeva wrote on X: “Late last night I posted a TikTok, as well as several stories on my Instagram. These were completely insensitive and inappropriate, and I retract them wholly. I do not condone violence and I am genuinely regretful of any harm the posts have caused.”
The Independent has emailed her for comment.
Mangione has been accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4. He was taken into custody at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, nearly 300 miles from where the crime occurred. At the time of his arrest, police said he was in possession of a gun and a handwritten manifesto about the crime.
He’s since been charged with murder and is being held in Pennsylvania on gun-related charges and providing false identification to law enforcement. He’s legally challenging his extradition to New York, which could delay the process by over a month.
