'Saint' Luigi Mangione devotional prayer candles being sold online for $26.50

On December 9, Luigi Mangione was arrested and identified as the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Since then, various types of merchandise dedicated to him have emerged online.

One such item is a “Free Luigi Mangione Devotional Prayer Saint Candle,” being sold for $26.50 per piece, primarily on the theluminaryandco.com website. The regular-size candle features Luigi Mangione wearing a brown robe with a green and yellow shawl, and the words “Patron Saint of the People” appearing below it.

The launch of this merchandise follows another candle available on the website called the “Deny Defend Depose Candle,” which is priced the same. The words on this candle allude to phrases reportedly found engraved on the shell casings discovered at the crime scene.

These phrases refer to alleged tactics that insurance companies like UnitedHealthcare seemingly use to avoid paying claims. The phrase can be traced back to the 2010 book Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It, written by Rutgers University professor emeritus Jay M. Feinman.

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Exploring more about the Luigi Mangione candles

According to the website theluminaryandco.com, the Luigi Mangione Devotional Prayer Saint Candle is available across the United States with no additional shipping cost. The description states, “$5 of every candle goes into his commissary fund at the Altoona Jail until a defense fund is started.”

“Delay. Deny. Depose. Tall white altar/ prayer candle featuring the Patron Saint of the People. The image is photoshopped then printed and pasted to a traditional ‘7 day’ white altar candle. Placement may vary slightly as these are hand-cut and placed,” it further reads.

The description also outlines how to handle the candles, the conditions in which they should be kept, and more. Meanwhile, the “Deny Defend Depose Candle” features an image of the shooter (taken from the CCTV footage of the crime) placed against the body of a winged angel, with the phrase written below along with the words, “Reserved for CEO.”

Notably, the website is known for making candles dedicated to famous individuals such as Cillian Murphy, Ice Spice, and Aaron Neville, among others.

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Internet is now filled with various other Luigi Mangione merchandise

Following Luigi Mangione’s arrest, Amazon has been flooded with merchandise dedicated to him, including mugs, hats, jumpers, sweatshirts, caps, hoodies, totes, stickers, pint glasses, Christmas ornaments, and more.

Items range from those featuring the phrase “deny, defend, depose” to others displaying the suspect’s face. Amazon has been removing these listings from their platform, stating that the “content violated the site’s guidelines,” as told to Fast Company.

However, Amazon is not the only retailer affected by the trend. Platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Bluesky have also been impacted. An eBay spokesperson told The Telegraph and The Washington Post that "items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited." However, listings having the phrase "deny, defend, depose" are not banned.

Meanwhile, as per The Independent, GoFundMe has also removed donation campaigns focused on helping Luigi Mangione’s case as “Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.” They added, “The fundraisers have been removed from our platform and all donors have been refunded.”

Mangione’s mugshot has also been used to launch various products on TikTok Shop. The website thegoodshirts.com has been selling t-shirts featuring a collage of the accused along with the phrase “deny, defend, depose,” priced at $29. Other t-shirts celebrating Luigi’s Italian-American background or having the phrase, “Free Luigi,” are also available. Likewise, Archive of Our Own featured dedicated fan fiction about Luigi Mangione.