Attorney General Pamela Bondi has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last year. Mangione, charged with stalking and first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty. Bondi described Thompson’s killing as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination.” Mangione’s attorney criticized the directive as “barbaric” and highlighted the dysfunction between state and federal prosecutions. Meanwhile, the case has sparked discussions on healthcare costs, as Mangione was reportedly uninsured and had a history of chronic pain. He remains in federal custody while awaiting proceedings.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi instructed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the individual charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last year.
Mangione, 26, faced federal charges in December for stalking and murdering Thompson after the CEO was shot dead in midtown Manhattan. Additionally, he was charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism by state authorities.
Bondi stated that she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty as part of “President Trump’s agenda to combat violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
“The murder of Brian Thompson—an innocent man and father of two young children—by Luigi Mangione was a calculated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked the nation,” Bondi remarked in a statement.
Mangione has entered a not guilty plea for all charges. His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, denounced Bondi’s directive as “barbaric” and “politically motivated.”
“This situation reflects a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship,” she stated on Tuesday. “Luigi is ensnared in a high-stakes struggle between state and federal prosecutors, with a young man’s life as the prize.”
Thompson’s family has not been available for comment on Bondi’s directive.
Currently, Mangione has not been federally indicted, and prosecutors have indicated that both sides agree to postpone that process while state authorities present their case first. If convicted on state charges, Mangione faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
The killing of Thompson on December 4 and the subsequent manhunt for his masked killer captured national attention.
The shooter fled on a bicycle outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was attending an annual investors’ meeting for the healthcare company, police reported. Surveillance footage showed the assailant cycling into Central Park before vanishing.
Five days later, on December 9, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized the gunman from images released by the New York Police Department and the FBI. Authorities apprehended Mangione that same day.
Law enforcement reported that they found Mangione in possession of a ghost gun, several fake IDs, and a three-page handwritten document detailing his motivation and mindset. Additionally, police indicated that the shell casings from Mangione’s firearm matched those found at the crime scene.
The murder of Thompson ignited a national conversation regarding the exorbitant costs linked to the U.S. healthcare system and insurance industry.
Archived Reddit posts connected to an account believed to belong to Mangione indicated that the 26-year-old underwent spinal surgery and dealt with chronic back pain, numbness, and sleep issues. At the time of the incident, UnitedHealthcare reported that Mangione was not insured with the company.
In her statement on Tuesday, Agnifilo appeared to instrumentalize the broader healthcare debate in Mangione’s case.
“While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government opts for the premeditated, state-sponsored execution of Luigi,” she stated. “In doing so, they are supporting a broken, immoral, and deadly healthcare system that continues to traumatize the American public.”
Mangione is currently detained in a federal facility in Brooklyn, NY.