Filmmaker Lexi Alexander drew backlash after appearing to celebrate the death of Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti, who was killed in a stabbing attack in New York's Times Square, by posting an image referencing Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering a UnitedHealthcare executive. The incident is the latest example of online commentators justifying or applauding violence against corporate figures, a trend that has drawn criticism from commentators who argue it normalises vigilante killings.

Piacenti had just returned to work after five months of maternity leave when she was killed on Monday; a woman with a knife also wounded another person before being shot dead by police, with a motive still under investigation and reports the suspect had a history of mental illness. Alexander, director of "Green Street Hooligans" and "Punisher: War Zone", shared a Batman-themed meme substituting Mangione's face and dismissed critics as part of an Israeli "hasbara" operation, linking the reaction to a past boycott campaign against the bank over its ties to Israel; she also amplified another user who said they did not care about Piacenti's death.