Attorney General Pam Bondi seeks death penalty against Luigi Mangione in CEO murder case
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
"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 faces federal and state criminal charges in Thompson's death early Dec. 4 outside a hotel in New York City. Bondi's announcement would affect only Mangione's federal case, in which he's accused of murdering Thompson through the use of a firearm, as well as of stalking the health care executive.
In Mangione's state case, he faces multiple murder charges, including a count of committing murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the state case, and his next appearance is scheduled for late June. Pretrial proceedings in his federal case have been delayed until at least April 18 based on an agreement between his lawyers and prosecutors.
Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, called the move by the Justice Department "political" and said in a statement that Mangione will fight the charges against him.
"We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, and the Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi," the statement said. "This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship. Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man’s life.”
Mangione draws support, fear as he awaits trial
In his role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson, the father to two young children, ran a nationwide health insurance company. The dayslong search for a suspect in his killing and the subsequent arrest of Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, sparked massive public interest, including from many who were upset with the health insurance industry.
Some spectators at Mangione's court proceedings have even behaved like fans, and a donation page to help with his legal expenses showed nearly $800,000 in contributions as of Tuesday.
"Luigi really wanted to thank the supporters for being here, and we all appreciate it very much," Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mangione, said outside of court after a February proceeding in a New York state court.
Court records unveiled last week said Mangione had received a pair of heart-shaped notes while in custody telling him to keep his "head held high” and that "there are thousands of people wishing you luck." Mangione has requested a laptop to review discovery, which prosecutors have opposed.
The support Mangione has seen in some quarters sparked fear for other insurance companies, which beefed up their security. In bringing potentially harsh penalties against the 26-year-old, prosecutors have signaled they want to send a message when it comes to potential violence motivated by social or political concerns.
"The murder was an act of political violence," the Justice Department said in a news release accompanying the announcement. "Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons."
Trump administration's push for the death penalty
The death penalty is only available in federal cases for capital offenses, which include murder and treason, according to Justice Department guidance.
During the Biden administration, Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered a moratorium on all federal executions to allow the Justice Department to review death penalty policy. Biden ultimately commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 prisoners on federal death row.
The push for the death penalty in Mangione's case falls within a broader effort under President Donald Trump to boost capital punishment.
On his first day back in office, Trump issued an executive order on "restoring the death penalty," which directed his attorney general to "pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use." Trump specified in particular categories of crimes that aren't applicable in Mangione's case: the murder of a law-enforcement officer or a capital crime committed by an immigrant who isn't authorized to be in the United States.
(This story has been updated with additional information.)