A social media post by filmmaker Lexi Alexander celebrating the fatal stabbing of a Bank of America employee in Times Square has drawn widespread criticism online.
Erin Piacenti, 32, a Bank of America vice president, was fatally stabbed near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. The attack happened on Piacenti’s first day back at work following maternity leave, shortly after she had celebrated her second wedding anniversary. Police say 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens stabbed Piacenti and another person in unprovoked attacks before officers shot and killed Cisneros after she threatened them with two butcher knives.
Alexander, the director of the 2008 film ‘Punisher: War Zone,’ posted an image on X depicting Batman looking up at a bat signal that had been altered to show the face of Luigi Mangione, who is currently on trial for the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The post was shared alongside a news blurb from Bloomberg that identified Piacenti’s employer but not her name: ‘Bank of America vice president killed in Times Square stabbing – BBG.’
The post remains on Alexander’s X timeline, though it has been restricted from being embedded elsewhere.
After facing criticism, Alexander posted that those condemning her were ‘Hasbara bots,’ a term referring to people she accused of working for Israeli propaganda efforts. She also reposted a message from another user who said she ‘didn’t care’ about Piacenti’s death and had received death threats as a result.
In a post that has since been deleted, Alexander wrote that her original message had been covered by more than a dozen news outlets, calling the coverage an ‘absolute non-story.’ She wrote: ‘because look at the time stamp, nobody knew it was a woman, a mother, low ranking branch manager. it sounded like another Luigi situation. I didn’t want to delete it because it was a good opportunity 2 remind people 2 #BoycottBofA.’
The New York Police Department is still investigating the stabbing attacks. Family members of Cisneros have said she suffered from mental illness.
Alexander has directed episodes of television series including ‘Supergirl,’ ‘S.W.A.T.,’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ since ‘Punisher: War Zone,’ which grossed about $10 million against a $35 million budget.
