Attorney General Pamela Bondi is directing federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“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 her April 1 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.”
Mr. Mangione is alleged to have fatally shot Mr. Thompson on Dec. 4 outside of the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealth Group was hosting its annual investor day conference. Mr. Thompson, 50, was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. He first joined Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and held numerous leadership positions across the company.
The Justice Department brought federal murder charges against Mr. Mangione Dec. 19. He is charged with four counts, including using a firearm to commit murder, interstate stalking resulting in death and discharging a firearm with a silencer during a violent crime. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, with one count carrying a mandatory minimum of 30 years.
Ms. Bondi’s directive marks the first time the Justice Department has pursued the death penalty since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, vowing to resume federal executions after they were paused under the previous administration.
“By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric,” Mr. Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement.
Mr. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a New York state indictment but has not yet been required to enter a plea on the federal charges.
