Michael Moynihan Cautions Celebrating CEO Murder Is Disastrous Slippery Slope

Admiration for the man suspected of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO is not just perverse … it’s dangerous, Michael Moynihan tells TMZ.

The renowned journalist told “TMZ Live” … the level of joy and satisfaction a portion of the country felt when Brian Thompson was killed last week is deeply disturbing … but not nearly as grotesque as people fawning over Luigi Mangione.

MM contends our society is clearly in a “sick place” … and most of the people who see Mangione as a folk hero are too young — and uninformed — to really consider the twisted logic of the heinous crime.

Michael tells TMZ it is a very slippery slope if the murder of Thompson is allowed to be seen as a forgivable or even justified act in the public eye … which could lead to other CEOs being murdered in the name of righteous views.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Mangione support … his admirers are not fringe! It seems — to Michael — there are more people who care about the suspect than care about the murder victim or his family.

As TMZ previously reported, Luigi was first named as a person of interest earlier this week after Thompson was gunned down in front of a midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.

Luigi was picked up in an Altoona, PA McDonald’s after a customer spotted Luigi and recognized him from widely shared suspect pics … prompting an employee to call police.

From there, Luigi was arrested on firearms and forgery charges in Pennsylvania before being hit with a second-degree murder charge by the Manhattan D.A. He’s currently fighting extradition to NYC … with his attorney previously sharing Luigi plans to plead not guilty.