Luigi Mangione to face death penalty for ‘killing healthcare CEO’
US prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League graduate accused of shooting dead a UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday morning directed prosecutors to pursue capital punishment for Mangione, 26, who has a sizable base of fans supporting his anti-insurance company greed stance.
‘Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson – an innocent man and father of two young children – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,’ stated Bondi.
‘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.’
One federal charge that Mangione faces, murder through use of a firearm, carries the death penalty if convicted. Federal prosecutors had been mulling whether to seek it since Mangione was accused of killing Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4.
Mangione has not entered a plea to the federal charges, but has pleaded not guilty to state charges which do not make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Mangione faces possible life in prison without parole for a first-degree murder charge brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
President Donald Trump on the first day of his second term signed an executive order for the Justice Department to seek the death penalty in federal cases they see fit. By contrast, former President Joe Biden had placed a moratorium on executions at the federal level.
Mangione’s lawyers did not immediately comment on Bondi’s decision.
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