US Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in December, according to Al Jazeera.
This decision marks the first time the Justice Department has pursued capital punishment since President Donald Trump’s return to office, fulfilling his campaign pledge to resume federal executions.
The high-profile case has garnered international attention, and Mangione has attracted a base of supporters who vehemently oppose what they describe as abuses within the healthcare industry. Thompson’s killing sent shockwaves through the corporate world, with some health insurers implementing remote work policies and online shareholder meetings. The incident also brought to the forefront the widespread frustration among Americans regarding healthcare companies accused of denying essential care due to cost.
Authorities have cited writings and ammunition found at the scene as evidence of Mangione’s animosity towards health insurers and corporate America. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the ammunition was inscribed with phrases such as “delay,” “deny,” and “depose,” mirroring common accusations against insurers.
Trump, who oversaw a surge in executions during his previous term, is a vocal advocate for expanding capital punishment. Bondi’s announcement follows her recent reversal of a moratorium on the federal death penalty implemented by former President Joe Biden, who commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates during his final weeks in office.
Mangione, 26, an Ivy League graduate, is accused of ambushing Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, where UnitedHealthcare was hosting an investor conference. Thompson, a father of two teenagers, had a long career with UnitedHealthcare and its parent company.
Mangione faces separate federal and state murder charges. The federal charges, which include murder through the use of a firearm, carry the potential for the death penalty. The state charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state indictment and has yet to enter a plea in the federal case. Prosecutors have indicated that the two cases will proceed in parallel, with the state case likely going to trial first. It remains unclear whether Bondi’s announcement will alter this order.
Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, has stated her intention to challenge the admissibility of certain evidence seized during his arrest and has criticized the parallel prosecutions, arguing that Mangione is being treated unfairly.
Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt. Police found a 9mm handgun matching the one used in the shooting, along with a fake ID and a notebook that authorities describe as a “manifesto.” The notebook allegedly contains entries expressing hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives, including an August 2024 entry stating “the target is insurance” and an October entry describing an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO.
UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the US, has stated that Mangione was never a client. Following his arrest, Mangione was transported back to New York in a highly public manner, arriving at a Manhattan pier surrounded by heavily armed officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
