Prosecutors aim to seek death penalty in Luigi Mangione murder case
Mangione has been accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that she is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione after he was accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione is currently being held in custody following the death of Thompson, who was fatally.shot in New York City on December 4, 2024.
The 26-year-old has been charged with 11 state criminal counts in New York, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism.
As well as the state charges, Mangione has separately been charged for federal charges of using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death, both of which could make him eligible for the death penalty.
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Announcing her plans to push for the death penalty, Bondi said: "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."
Bondi's announcement came after Mangione pleaded not guilty to state charges in the case. He has not yet entered a plea to federal charges.
Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, previously criticized the decision for Magnione to be charged both at the state and federal level, claiming the two sets of charges appear to come in conflict with each other.
Agnifilo described the overlapping cases as 'confusing' and 'highly unusual', according to BBC News, adding she had 'never seen anything like what is happening here' in her 30 years of practising law.
"This is a young man," she told a judge in December. "He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between two warring jurisdictions here."
Mangione is next set to appear in federal court on April 18.
Topics: Crime, Luigi Mangione, US News, New York
Emily Brown