Movie Director Defends Jokes About Banking Executive’s Murder

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lexi Alexander is facing renewed criticism after standing by a social media post that mocked the killing of a young Bank of America employee — and later saying the backlash had brought her fresh professional attention.

Alexander, 52, a Palestinian-American director, drew outrage this week over her reaction to the death of 32-year-old new mother Erin Piacenti, who was fatally stabbed during a random Times Square attack allegedly carried out by a mentally ill woman.

The day after the killing, Alexander shared an image on social media showing Batman looking toward a bat signal featuring the face of Luigi Mangione, the accused CEO killer who has been embraced by some online as a vigilante figure.

As condemnation mounted, Alexander declined to apologize, while acknowledging that she had not realized Piacenti was a “low ranking branch manager” who had recently returned from maternity leave when she was killed.

Despite that admission, she said she chose not to remove the post, arguing that it presented “a good opportunity” to again promote her calls for a boycott of Bank of America over what she describes as the company’s ties to Israel.

“But the craziest part is that all this press coverage caused tons of people to re-discover me,” Alexander wrote in follow-up posts on X.

“Plus folks reached out with scripts, asked for meetings, multiple podcasts requests… It’s really wild,” she added.

Alexander also complained that the attention surrounding her comments had far outpaced coverage of her advocacy, writing that while several stories had focused on her remarks about Piacenti’s death, “nothing I post about Palestine gets covered like this.”

Alexander, best known for her cult classic Green Street Hooligans in 2005, complained in further posts that people had ‘forgotten about’ her before the torrent of backlash she sparked this week. 

‘This must be what people mean with ‘no PR is bad PR” she said of her apparent rise in job opportunities as a result.

She said news articles about the outrage ‘did the opposite of what they tried to do’, but she was still ‘bummed out’ because her posts about Palestine have not received as much attention. 

The movie director’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the backlash she has received.

Alexander was branded a ‘monster’ online for her post, and she appeared to limit replies from public accounts to her X profile. 

After Alexander’s meme using Luigi Mangione to apparently celebrate Piancenti’s death, she doubled down on her ridicule by claiming the backlash was being fueled by a ‘Hasbara bot farm’ – a reference to Israel’s public diplomacy arm.

She said she believes the fury she has faced was a result of her calls to boycott Bank of America due to its ties to the nation.

Alexander then shared news articles criticizing her mockery of Piacenti’s death, complaining that it is her first taste of relevancy in some time in her filmmaking career.

‘Can’t get this kind of press when I promote a movie, but post a Luigi meme and they’re all over you,’ she wrote. ‘No wonder everybody constantly sounds crazy on here.’

Many online were sickened by her callous response, including attorney Mark Yzaguirre, who said: ‘A young woman was murdered while innocently walking down the street, and you are celebrating. You are absolute human garbage, and I suspect you know that deep-down.’ 

‘You know you’ve lost the plot when your politics are indistinguishable from that of a crazy woman that attacks random people with knives,’ another said.

Alexander, best known for her cult classic Green Street Hooligans and Oscar-nominated short film Johnny Flynton, continued to respond to criticism on X with calls to boycott the bank.

One commenter noted reports that Alexander has a net worth of approximately $1 million to $3 million, ridiculing the filmmaker’s ‘eat the rich’ stance.

‘Lol I so wish that was true,’ Alexander responded.

The filmmaker also shared a link to a Haaretz article in January about Bank of America’s calls to invest in Israeli companies.

Her heartless response to Piacenti’s murder came as it was revealed that the, 32-year-old had just finished her first day back from maternity leave when she was fatally stabbed.

The attacker, Pamela Cisneros, 49, also stabbed an elderly man who was left in critical condition, before she was shot dead by responding police officers. 

Bank of America said in a statement following Piacenti’s death: ‘We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague.

‘She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.’

An online fundraiser has since emerged showing Piacenti beaming as she held onto her newborn baby daughter Madison, alongside her husband Frank.

A tribute posted to the page said: ‘Erin’s life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived.

‘Erin was deeply devoted to her family and friends, exceptionally bright and accomplished, and was someone who brought warmth and energy to the people around her.

‘Erin and Frank celebrated their second wedding anniversary this summer, had just returned from a family road trip upon her passing, and were preparing to build a life together with their new daughter. That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant.

‘Funds raised will be dedicated to supporting Madison as she grows up surrounded by the family, friends, stories, and memories that will allow her to know just how remarkable her mother was.’