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Federal prosecutors have been directed to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Mangione faces both federal and state murder charges, with the case drawing significant public and political attention following his arrest.
US attorney general
Pam Bondi
on Tuesday directed
federal prosecutors
to seek the
death penalty
against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting
UnitedHealthcare
CEO Brian Thompson outside a
New York City
hotel on December 4, 2024.
Mangione, 26, is facing both federal and state murder charges in connection with the high-profile killing that shocked the business world and intensified criticism of the
health insurance industry
.
The federal indictment includes charges of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of capital punishment. The state charges, which will likely go to trial first, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, reported the news agency AP.
“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson, an innocent man and father of two young children, was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again”, the statement added.
Mangione was arrested on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after allegedly shooting Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown. Prosecutors said he was found with a firearm matching the murder weapon and a fake ID.
A notebook in his possession reportedly contained entries expressing hostility toward health insurance executives, with one from August 2024 stating that “the target is insurance” and another from October detailing a plan to “wack” an insurance company CEO, according to The Guardian.
Surveillance footage showed the gunman fleeing the crime scene on a bicycle and disappearing into Central Park before the manhunt ended with Mangione’s arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to state charges and has yet to enter a plea in the federal case.
Thompson, 50, was on his way to an investor conference when he was ambushed and shot. UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the US, confirmed that Mangione was never a client.
The case also carries political implications. US President Donald Trump, who resumed office in January, signed an executive order reinstating the federal death penalty on his first day back.
This reversed a moratorium put in place by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Mangione’s defense team has not commented on the decision to seek capital punishment. His legal expenses are being supported by approximately $775,000 raised on the GiveSendGo platform, through a campaign organized by a group called the December 4th Legal Committee, reported The Guardian.
