US attorney general Pamela Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing Brian Thompson, the chief executive of United Health Group’s insurance division, in New York last year.
Lawyers for Mr Mangione did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Mangione (26), has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges of murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offences. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted in that case. New York does not have the death penalty for state charges.
Mr Mangione faces a parallel federal indictment in Manhattan federal court over Mr Thompson’s killing. He could face the death penalty if convicted in that case. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea to the federal charges.
If Mr Mangione is convicted in the federal case, the jury would determine in a separate phase of the trial whether to recommend the death penalty. Any such recommendation must be unanimous, and the judge would be required to impose it.
Mr Thompson was shot dead on December 4th, 2024, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel, where his company was gathering for an investor conference.
“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,” Ms Bondi said in a statement.
“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.”
[ Luigi Mangione back in court over murder of UnitedHealthcare chief executiveOpens in new window ]
The killing of Mr Thompson and ensuing five-day manhunt gripped the country. Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found Mr Mangione on December 9th with a 9-millimeter pistol and silencer, clothing that matched the apparel worn by Mr Thompson’s assailant in surveillance footage, and a notebook describing an intent to “wack” an insurance company chief executive, according to a court filing.
While public officials condemned the killing, some Americans who decry steep healthcare costs and the power of health insurers to refuse to pay for some treatments have feted Mr Mangione as a folk hero.
On February 5th, Ms Bondi lifted a moratorium on federal executions imposed in 2021 by her predecessor Merrick Garland, the attorney general under Democratic president Joe Biden.
– Reuters
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