Washington, DC [US], April 1 (ANI): US Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Bondi described the murder as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked the nation.”
In her statement, Bondi emphasized, “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 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.”
Mangione is accused of killing Thompson on December 4, 2024, in what authorities have described as an “act of political violence.” The US Department of Justice reported that Mangione’s actions involved significant planning and premeditation. “As alleged, Luigi Mangione stalked and murdered UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024. The murder was an act of political violence. Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, it may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons,” the statement read.
Federal charges were filed against Mangione on December 19, 2024. Attorney General Bondi has since directed Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky to seek the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges, but he has not yet been arraigned on the federal charges.
Prosecutors say that Mangione killed Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan, where Thompson was heading to a UnitedHealthcare investors conference. After the shooting, a five-day manhunt ensued, eventually leading investigators to a hostel on the Upper West Side and later to a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was apprehended. At the time of his arrest, Mangione was carrying a backpack containing a gun matching the murder weapon, along with a notebook featuring writings critical of the insurance industry.
Mangione is currently in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His defense team recently requested a laptop for reviewing case documents, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined, stating that Mangione already had access to computers at the detention center and had been receiving special treatment, including being allowed to change clothes for court appearances. Furthermore, the District Attorney’s office accused Mangione’s attorneys of attempting to smuggle heart-shaped notes in his socks before a previous hearing. (ANI)
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