Federal government to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

The federal government will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the Associated Press reports.

The development is in keeping with another one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to pursue capital punishment.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she will direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione, 26, who allegedly shot Thompson at point-blank range outside a New York City hotel in December where the company was holding an investor meeting.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a well-known Maryland family, faces both federal and state charges, including murder with a firearm, which could land him the death penalty. His maximum penalty in New York would be life in prison.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to strongly pursue the death penalty, after ending his first term with “an unprecedented run of executions,” AP reported, or 13 total during his first term.

Bondi recently lifted a Biden administration ban on the federal death penalty, making Mangione’s the first case under Trump’s second term where it could be used. 

Thompson, 50, was a married father of two teenagers who had worked at United Healthcare for several decades. His murder shocked the corporate community, although Mangione received sympathy and support from some health insurance critics who hailed him as a hero. 

United is America’s largest health insurance company but has said Mangione was never a client, AP reports.