Luigi Mangione arrived at Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024, for his arraignment on state charges of murder and terrorism in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she has ordered prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against him. The Associated Press
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione. He is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of an insurance division at UnitedHealth Group, in New York last year.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, strongly opposed the decision, calling it "barbaric." She criticized the government for planning "a premeditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi."
Mangione, 26, has pleaded not guilty to state charges, including murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses. If convicted under New York state law, he could face life in prison without parole. However, New York does not allow the death penalty for state crimes.
Federal prosecutors have also indicted Mangione in Manhattan, where Bondi said they will push for the death sentence. He has not yet entered a plea in the federal case. If he is found guilty, a jury will decide whether he should receive the death penalty. Their decision must be unanimous, and the judge would be required to impose it.
Thompson was shot on December 4 outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where his company was hosting an investor conference. Bondi described the murder as "a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination" and said it shocked the country. She added, "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 high-profile killing and the intense five-day manhunt that followed drew national attention. Police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested Mangione on December 9. They found him carrying a 9-millimeter pistol with a silencer, wearing clothes that matched those seen in surveillance footage of the shooter. Authorities also discovered a notebook where he allegedly wrote about his plan to "wack" an insurance company CEO.
While officials condemned the murder, some members of the public have expressed support for Mangione. They claim his actions highlighted the high cost of healthcare in the U.S. and the power of insurance companies to deny treatments.
Mangione is currently being held in a federal detention center in Brooklyn.
Bondi’s decision follows her move to lift a federal execution moratorium on February 5. The previous attorney general, Merrick Garland, had paused federal executions in 2021 under President Biden’s administration.
