The US Attorney General has instructed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of murdering Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealth CEO, in New York last year.
Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to state charges of murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses, faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted at the state level. However, New York does not impose the death penalty for state charges.
In addition to the state indictment, Mangione is also facing federal charges in Manhattan federal court, where a conviction could lead to a death sentence. He has yet to enter a plea on the federal indictment. Should he be convicted in the federal trial, the jury would then determine, through a separate sentencing phase, whether to recommend the death penalty, which would require a unanimous decision before the judge could impose the sentence.
Thompson was shot and killed on December 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, where UnitedHealth Group was holding an investor conference. The murder and subsequent five-day manhunt garnered nationwide attention.
“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson—an innocent man and a father of two—was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” said Pam Bondi, adding that, after thorough review, she had directed federal prosecutors to seek capital punishment in line with President Trump’s crime-fighting agenda to Make America Safe Again.
Mangione was eventually located by police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, carrying a 9mm pistol equipped with a silencer. Authorities also discovered clothing that matched surveillance footage of the shooter, along with a notebook detailing an intent to “wack” a health insurance executive.
While officials widely condemned the killing, Mangione has gained support online, with some Americans, critical of rising healthcare costs and the power of insurers to deny coverage, hailing him as a folk hero.
On February 5, Pam Bondi formally ended the moratorium on federal executions, which had been in place since 2021 under former Attorney General Merrick Garland during President Biden’s administration.
