FILE PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group chief executive Brian Thompson, appears in Manhattan Supreme Court on New York state murder and terrorism charges in New York City, U.S., February 21, 2025.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday said she had ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, who is charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December.
"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 issued by the Department of Justice.
"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," the attorney general said.
Karen Agnifilo, Mangione's lawyer, condemned Bondi's decision.
"By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric," Agnifilo said in a statement.
"Their decision to execute Luigi is political and goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent," the attorney said.
"While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi," Agnifilo said.
"By doing this, they are defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry that continues to terrorize the American people."
Expensive_Bison_657 on April 1st, 2025 at 18:00 UTC »
Kinda wild to announce this, playing up the whole “Luigi killed a father” thing, on the same day that you sent a father to die in El Salvador.
arrgobon32 on April 1st, 2025 at 16:07 UTC »
Not surprising. Do I think the jury is going to recommend the death penalty? My gut says no, but I think life is still on the table
mikeyfreshh on April 1st, 2025 at 16:05 UTC »
I still don't understand why the DoJ is even involved. This shouldn't be a federal case. It should be handled by the state of New York