Prosecutors directed to seek death penalty against UnitedHealthcare killing suspect
NEW YORK — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.
Mangione, 26, faces separate federal and state murder charges for the killing. The federal charges include a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.
“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. “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.”
A message seeking comment on Bondi’s announcement was left for a spokesperson for Mangione’s lawyers.
According to prosecutors, Mangione had a spiral notebook in which he expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives. UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurer in the U.S., though the company said Mangione was never a client.
Among the entries, the complaint said, was one from August 2024 that said “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box” and one from October that describes an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO.
The maximum punishment on the state charges is life in prison. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a state indictment and has not entered a plea to the federal charges.
