U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Manigone, the man accused of shooting and killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, in New York last year.
“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,” Bondi said.
In a statement, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo described the decision as “barbaric” and accused the U.S. attorney’s office of being hypocritical.
“While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi,” Friedman Agnifilo said, according to Reuters.
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Mangione, 26, has pleaded not guilty to New York State charges of murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offences, charges he could spend life in prison for.
New York state does not have capital punishment.
However, Mangione is also facing parallel federal charges which can potentially carry the death penalty. To date, he has not issued a plea for the federal charges.
If Mangione is convicted in the federal case, the jury would determine in a separate phase of the trial whether to recommend the death penalty. Any such recommendation must be unanimous, and the judge would be required to impose it.
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A nation captivated
Last year, the brazen murder of Thompson, followed by the five-day manhunt for the culprit, captivated the country.
Mangione was eventually apprehended by police officers in Altoona Pennsylvania on December 9.
When he was arrested he had a 9-millimeter pistol and silencer in his possession, in addition to clothing that matched the apparel worn by Thompson’s shooter in surveillance footage that captured the crime.
A notebook describing his intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO was also found in his possession, a court filing says.
While public officials immediately came out and condemned the killing, a number of Americans praised Manigione, saying he drew attention to steep U.S. healthcare costs and the power health insurers wield when they refuse payment for some treatments.
Mangione is currently being held in federal lockup in Brooklyn.
On March 5, Bondi lifted a moratorium on federal executions imposed by her predecessor Merrick Garland, Biden’s attorney general.
Reuters contributed to this report
