Luigi Mangione, charged with the shocking killing of a US health insurance CEO in broad daylight, could be given the death penalty, following an intervention from the Trump White House.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi made the decisive move on Tuesday, directing federal prosecutors to seek the ultimate punishment for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of the cold-blooded murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The brazen killing of Thompson on the streets of Manhattan shocked America and led to a massive five-day manhunt, ending over 230 miles away in Pennsylvania.
“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 declared 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.”
26-year-old Mangione is facing 11 state charges and four at the federal level, including one for murder with a firearm—a crime that could lead to a death sentence. He has denied all charges in relation to the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Mangione has denied the charges and entered a not guilty plea to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism for Brian Thompson’s death on December 4, 2024, outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan, reports the Mirror US.
The killing, caught on tape and shared across social media, stunned the public with its speed and seeming premeditated and pre-planned orchestration.
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.
The corporate healthcare sector has been left reeling following the murder of Thompson, with a surprising number of individuals expressing sympathy for the alleged murderer due to his grudge against the profit-driven healthcare system.
Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, is strongly suspected in Thompson’s death, even as he has garnered a devoted following of young men and women. Various theories have been circulated about the young man accused of the fatal shooting, with some speculating it was an act of retribution.
Spondylolisthesis, a condition that Mangione suffers from, happens when one vertebra slips over another, potentially causing intense pain if it compresses the spinal nerves. This condition can develop during childhood or result from an injury.
In Mangione’s case, it was caused by a surfing accident. It’s believed that this injury profoundly affected the young man, with several social media posts suggesting as much.