US prosecutor General Pam Bondi said on Tuesday that she had ordered federal prosecutors to ask for the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of pulling the CEO of Unitedhealthcare, Brian Thompson, in front of a Manhattan hotel on December 4.
Mangione, 26, faces accusations of federal murder and distinct state for murder. Federal accusations include an accusation of murder thanks to the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.
“The murder by Luigi Mangione by Brian Thompson – an innocent man and father of two young children – was a premeditated composure assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement. “After a meticulous examination, I ordered federal prosecutors to ask for the death penalty in this case when we realize the agenda of President Trump to arrest violent crimes and make America again secure.”
A message asking for comments on Bondi’s announcement was left for a spokesperson for mangione lawyers.
According to the prosecutors, Mangione had a spiral notebook in which he expressed hostility towards the health insurance sector and rich executives. Unitedhealthcare is the biggest health insurer in the United States, although the company said that Mangione was never a customer.
Among the entries, said the complaint, that of August 2024 which said “the objective is insurance” because “it checks each box” and one of October which describes an intention of “Wack” a CEO of an insurance company.
The maximum punishment for state accusations is life for life. Mangione pleaded not guilty to an act of indictment of the state and did not argue the federal accusations.
