FILE PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group chief executive Brian Thompson, appears in Manhattan Supreme Court on New York state murder and terrorism charges in New York City, U.S., February 21, 2025.
Curtis Means | Via Reuters
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday said she had ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the case against Luigi Mangione for the December slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
“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,” Bondi said in a statement issued by the Department of Justice.
“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,” the attorney general said.
Mangione, 26, is being prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Manhattan with federal crimes, including murder, stalking, and fireams charges, related to Thompson’s killing outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4.
Thompson, whose company is the largest payer of health insurance benefits in the United States, was headed into the hotel for an investor meeting of its parent, UnitedHealth Group.
The DOJ, in its statement Tuesday, said that Thompson’s “murder was an act of political violence.”
“Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons,” the statement said.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Courtesy: UnitedHealth Group
The department previously has said that the University of Pennsylvania graduate planned to kill Thompson in an effort to spark public discussion about the health care industry.
Mangione also faces state murder charges and other charges in Manhattan Supreme Court, which is a trial-level court. He faces a maximum possible sentence of life without parole in that case if convicted.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
Leave a Reply