A University of Pennsylvania professor who made comments supporting Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been rebuked by a deputy dean.
Julia Alekseyeva, an assistant professor of English and Media and Cinema studies at the Ivy League school, praised Mangione, a Penn album, Tuesday night on social media.
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"I have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of P3nnsylvania," Alekseyeva wrote on TikTok, the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's student newspaper, first reported. Her post has since been removed.
Alekseyeva also had shared another post about Mangione in an Instagram story, calling him the "icon we all need and deserve."
Jeffrey Kallberg, deputy dean at Penn's School of Arts & Sciences, issued a statement Wednesday addressing the Alekseyeva's social media posts.
"Her comments regarding the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City were antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts & Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania, and they were not condoned by the School or the University," said Kallberg, who is set to become interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences in January. "Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them."
Kallberg's statement came after Alekseyeva posted Tuesday night on X, formerly Twitter, that she regretted her comments.
"Late last night I posted a TikTok, as well as several stories on my Instagram," Alekseyeva wrote. "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."
Mangione, 26, is charged in New York with second-degree murder, forgery and gun offenses for allegedly gunning down Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan on Dec. 4. He spent nearly six days on the run before an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, reported him to authorities Monday. Mangione also faces separate charges in Pennsylvania.
After Mangione's arrest, Penn officials confirmed that he had attended the university and was awarded a bachelor's and master's degree in computer and information science in 2020. He had helped found a video game development club and had been a teaching assistant for an undergraduate class during his time at Penn.
The manhunt for Mangione and his arrest prompted a wave of public reaction to the shooting, including many who painted the alleged gunman as a hero for targeting a health insurance executive. After Mangione's arrest, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was among the leaders to condemn politically-motivated violence.
"In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," Shapiro said Monday. "I understand people have real frustration with our health care system. ... In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice."