The Attorney General of the United States has instructed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the individual charged with the shooting death of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the insurance division at UnitedHealth Group, in New York last year.
Legal representatives for Mr. Mangione have not yet responded to a request for comment.
At 26 years old, Mr. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges that include murder as an act of terrorism and various weapons offenses.
If found guilty in that case, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as New York does not impose the death penalty for state offenses.
However, he could potentially face the death penalty if convicted of the federal charges. He has yet to enter a plea regarding these charges.
In the event of a conviction in the federal case, a jury would assess in a separate trial phase whether to recommend the death penalty. Such a recommendation must be unanimous, and the judge would have to impose the penalty.
Mr. Thompson was fatally shot on December 4 outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealth Group was holding an investor conference.
Pam Bondi stated, “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.”
“After thorough deliberation, I have directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in this case as we implement President Trump’s agenda to combat violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” Ms. Bondi added.
The shocking murder of Mr. Thompson and the subsequent five-day manhunt captured the attention of the nation.
On December 9, police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, discovered Mr. Mangione with a 9-millimeter pistol and silencer, along with clothing matching that of the shooter seen in surveillance footage of Mr. Thompson’s death, and a notebook outlining an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO, as indicated in court documents.
While officials condemned the assassination, some Americans frustrated by exorbitant healthcare costs and the authority of health insurers to deny certain treatments have celebrated Mr. Mangione, currently held in federal custody in Brooklyn, as a folk hero.
On February 5, Ms. Bondi lifted a moratorium on federal executions that had been enacted in 2021 by her predecessor, Merrick Garland, the attorney general during the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden.
