ULTIMATE PRICE Luigi Mangione will face death penalty if he’s found guilty of CEO murder as AG blasts ‘cold-blooded assassination’
ALLEGED assassin Luigi Mangione could be put to death if he’s found guilty of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 26, faces four federal charges over the shooting death of Thompson on December 4, 2024.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday that she directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione’s alleged “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
In a statement, Bondi offered sympathy for Thompson, whom she called “an innocent man and father of two young children.”
“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,” she said.
Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, has been charged with murder through the use of a firearm, two stalking charges, and a firearms offense.
“The murder was an act of political violence,” Bondi said in her statement.
“Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons.”
On the morning of December 4, Thompson was shot to death outside of a Manhattan hotel while attending a company conference.
His killer escaped the scene, prompting a five-day manhunt that ended when Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Magnione was charged with murder on December 9 and slapped with federal murder charges on December 19.
Bondi directed Acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky to seek the death penalty in the case, but he could refuse her orders.
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office on January 20, he signed an executive order demanding the Justice Department seek out the death penalty in federal cases when it’s applicable.
It comes after former President Joe Biden issued a moratorium on federal executions.
FEDERAL AND STATE CHARGES
Mangione’s next federal court hearing is scheduled for April 18.
In addition to his federal charges, he also faces state criminal charges.
While Mangione hasn’t entered a plea to the federal charges, he pleaded not guilty to a state indictment.
The state charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.
In New York, Mangione faces 11 charges, including first-degree murder and murder as a terrorist crime.
In Pennsylvania, he faces fraud and forgery charges as well as firearm offenses.
Mangione’s lawyers are fighting the Pennsylvania charges as they insist cops got his DNA illegally by offering him a snack after his arrest.
In 36 pages of documents, his Pennsylvania defense attorney argued cops confronted Mangione “based on a hunch.”
His team also claimed cops illegally took Mangione’s bag and the notebook containing his alleged manifesto.
