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US Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what authorities describe as a “cold-blooded assassination.”
“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 on Tuesday. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case.”
Thompson’s murder in December 2024 sparked widespread debate, with some social media users portraying Mangione as a symbol of public frustration with the US healthcare system. Bondi, however, framed the killing as “an act of political violence” that put others at risk.
Mangione, who faces both state and federal charges, has pleaded not guilty in New York state court, where he could receive life in prison without parole if convicted. However, federal prosecutors are now pushing for the death penalty, a move his lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, strongly opposes.
“This decision is political and goes against the recommendations of local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent,” Agnifilo said, calling the Justice Department’s stance “barbaric.”
She also questioned how the federal and state cases would proceed simultaneously, describing the situation as “highly unusual.”
Prosecutors say Mangione traveled from Atlanta to New York City in late November and spent days tracking Thompson. On December 4, he allegedly approached the CEO from behind and shot him multiple times with a silencer-equipped pistol.
Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after McDonald’s employees tipped off police, ending an extensive manhunt.
As the case unfolds, legal experts and the public remain divided over whether Mangione’s crime warrants the death penalty or life imprisonment.
