Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione for Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, charged with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Thompson was shot and killed outside a hotel in New York while on his way to an annual investor meeting.

“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.

Mangione faces numerous state and federal charges, including murder in the first degree "in furtherance of an act of terrorism." He has pleaded not guilty to state charges but has not yet entered a plea for federal charges of murder.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania after a multi-day manhunt. Despite this, he has attracted a cult-like following, with many upset about the U.S. health care system. Supporters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mangione's legal defense, and billboards proclaiming his innocence have appeared in lower Manhattan.

Investigators, however, stated that a gun recovered during Mangione's arrest was linked to shell casings found at the scene where Thompson was killed.