Attorney General Pam Bondi is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione if he is convicted of the December murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, she announced in a statement Tuesday.
One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder through use of a firearm, makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
“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. “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.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Department of Justice to address its workers, in Washington, D.C., March 14, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the CEO headed to an investors conference on Dec. 4. He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the murder.
The federal charges against Mangione were filed in December, during the Biden administration.
Luigi Mangione appears at a hearing for the murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson at Manhattan Criminal Court on February 21, 2025 in New York City.
Curtis Means/Getty Images
“As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime,” then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges.
He hasn’t entered a plea to federal charges. He is due back in federal court on April 18.
