Federal prosecutors have announced their intent to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson, a senior executive at UnitedHealth Group.
Mangione is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan federal court on Friday for arraignment on federal charges, including murder and terrorism. He has previously pleaded not guilty to separate state-level charges related to the same incident.
Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division, was shot and killed on December 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel during an investor conference hosted by the company. The killing prompted a nationwide manhunt that ended five days later when Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Authorities recovered a 9-millimeter pistol with a silencer—matching the weapon seen in surveillance footage—and a notebook allegedly containing plans to target a health insurance executive.
In a filing submitted on Thursday, prosecutors argued that Mangione poses an ongoing threat to public safety. “He expressed an intent to target an entire industry, and rally political and social opposition to that industry, by engaging in an act of lethal violence,” the filing stated.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously disclosed the government’s intention to seek the death penalty on April 1. Mangione’s legal team criticized that announcement, calling it “unapologetically political” and a breach of standard procedures in capital cases. They have not responded to the latest filing.
If convicted on federal charges, a separate sentencing phase would be held where a jury must unanimously decide whether to impose the death penalty. The presiding judge would then be obligated to deliver the sentence as determined by the jury.
The case has sparked national discussion. While the killing has been widely condemned, a minority of voices have portrayed Mangione’s actions as a protest against rising healthcare costs and insurance denials.
Mangione remains in custody at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn, awaiting trial.
Edited by Nzubechukwu Eze.
