U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday that she has instructed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4.
Mangione, 26, is facing both federal and state murder charges for the killing. The federal charges include murder with a firearm, which opens the possibility of the death penalty.
Bondi called the murder of Brian Thompson, a father of two young children, "a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination" that shocked the nation. "After careful consideration, I’ve directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as part of President Trump’s efforts to combat violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” she said in a statement.
A request for comment from Mangione’s legal team was left unanswered.
Prosecutors say that Mangione kept a spiral notebook in which he expressed animosity toward the insurance industry and wealthy executives. Although UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurer in the U.S., the company confirmed that Mangione was never a client. In his notebook, Mangione allegedly wrote entries in August 2024 about targeting the insurance industry and in October about plans to “wack” an insurance CEO.
On the state charges, Mangione faces the possibility of life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges and has not yet entered a plea regarding the federal charges.
