Luigi Mangione was indicted on Thursday on federal charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a major step in the prosecution’s pursuit of the death penalty.
Returned by a federal grand jury in Manhattan, the indictment includes a charge of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. Mangione is also charged with stalking and a gun offence.
It comes after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed prosecutors to seek 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,” she said in a statement issued by the Department of Justice on April 1.
“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.”
According to The Associated Press, Mangione’s lawyers argue that Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived Mangione of his constitutional right to due process.
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In a statement to Reuters on April 1, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said the decision to seek the death penalty was “barbaric.”
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“While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the premeditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi,” Friedman Agnifilo said.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate faces separate federal and state murder charges after authorities accused him of fatally shooting Thompson as he walked down the street during UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference in Manhattan last December.
The state charges, to which Mangionie pleaded not guilty, carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.
The shooting sent shock waves across the U.S., rousing fear among the business community and leading some health insurers to delete photos of executives from their websites.
Meanwhile, the killing galvanized health insurance industry critics who shared Mangione’s apparent disdain for hefty medical bills, insurance claims denials and the unabashed wealth of industry executives, and stirred up an unlikely fandom that began gathering outside the alleged killer’s court hearings.
If Mangione is convicted in his federal trial, it would be left to the jury to decide whether or not to recommend the death penalty. The decision would have to be unanimous and imposed by the judge.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9 after a five-day multi-state search. A gun that matched the one used in the shooting was found on his person, as was a fake ID, according to police.
Investigators also discovered a notebook with handwritten descriptions of hostile feelings towards the health insurance industry, particularly wealthy executives, federal prosecutors say.
Since his arrest, Mangione has gained a loyal following. Some believe his alleged crimes were an act of warranted defiance against wanton corporate greed and have gone to great lengths to communicate their support.
In February, a heart-shaped letter was found hidden in a pair of socks that Mangione was supposed to wear to a hearing.
Jotted on pale pink paper, the short memo read, “Keep your head held high” and “Know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” according to a photo of court papers filed by Mangione’s lawyers. The message was signed, “K / Free Luigi,” The Associated Press reported.
Mangione’s federal indictment came just before a deadline Friday for prosecutors to either file one or seek a delay. It was not immediately clear when he would be brought to federal court in Manhattan for an arraignment.
— with files from The Associated Press.
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