United States prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 1, 2025, directed federal prosecutors to seek capital punishment for the “cold-blooded assassination.”
Thompson was shot dead outside a New York hotel on 4 December, 2024.
Mangione, 26, was arrested after a nationwide manhunt.
He pleaded not guilty to state charges and has not entered a plea for federal charges.
Mangione is awaiting trial in a New York prison. Bondi described Thompson’s murder as “political violence.”
She said the attack posed a serious risk to others nearby. Investigators say Mangione killed Thompson over anger with US health insurers.
Mangione’s lawyer called the death penalty decision “barbaric” and criticized the government’s healthcare stance.
Mangione faces 11 state criminal charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism-related murder.
If convicted, he faces life imprisonment without parole. Federal charges make him eligible for the death penalty.
The federal and state cases will proceed separately but in parallel.
Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the US’s largest private insurer. Mangione is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
New York prosecutors have shared evidence, including fingerprints matching those found at the crime scene.
Mangione arrived in New York City on 24 November, using a fake ID.
He stayed in a Manhattan hostel.
On 4 December, he shot Thompson in the back as he entered a hotel for an investors’ meeting.
Police arrested Mangione five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a ghost gun and fake ID.
Thompson’s death sparked debate about the US healthcare system’s fairness.
Many Americans are angry at insurance companies.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressed concern over violent rhetoric following the killing.
He warned of domestic violent extremism fueled by anger at the healthcare system.
