Federal prosecutors have formally filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York hotel last December.
According to the filing, prosecutors allege that Mangione, 26, killed Thompson “to amplify an ideological message” and incite resistance against the US health insurance industry. The filing came just hours before Mangione’s scheduled plea hearing on four federal charges Friday.
Mangione, who was arrested after a nationwide manhunt ended with his capture in Altoona, Pennsylvania, has already pleaded not guilty to related state charges and is currently awaiting trial in a New York prison.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that she had directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, describing Thompson’s murder as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination” that constituted an act of political violence. She noted the attack may have endangered additional people nearby.
Mangione’s defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, sharply criticized the decision, calling it “barbaric.” She argued that the federal government was “defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry” while seeking what she described as “state-sponsored murder” of her client.
Investigators believe Mangione targeted Thompson, 50, out of deep anger toward US health insurance companies. In the notice seeking capital punishment, prosecutors stated that Mangione poses an ongoing threat, citing his alleged intentions to continue targeting the healthcare industry and to promote his cause through violence.
At the state level, Mangione faces 11 criminal charges, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism. A conviction on these charges would carry a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Separately, federal charges against Mangione — including using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death — make him eligible for the death penalty. Federal and state cases will proceed simultaneously.
Thompson was shot in the back by a masked gunman as he entered a hotel where UnitedHealthcare was hosting an investors’ meeting. His death has fueled renewed public debate over the US healthcare system, with many Americans voicing frustration over high healthcare costs and the practices of major insurance companies.
