On Thursday, Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on December 4, was indicted in federal court on a charge of murder, which could permit him to be executed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this month that the Department of Justice would seek the death penalty for Mangione.
“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,” she stated. “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.”
“As alleged, Luigi Mangione stalked and murdered UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024,” the DOJ declared. “The murder was an act of political violence. 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.”
“Following federal murder charges handed down on Dec. 19, 2024, Attorney General Bondi has now directed Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky to seek the death penalty in this case,” the DOJ added.
The homemade gun that Mangione carried when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, matched shell casings found at the crime scene, according to authorities. In addition, investigators said that Mangione’s fingerprints matched the ones investigators found on items near the scene.
“First, we got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania. It’s now at the NYPD crime lab,” NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in Midtown at the scene of the homicide. We’re also at the crime lab able to match the person of interest’s fingerprints with fingerprints that we found on both the water bottle and the KIND bar near the scene of the homicide in midtown.”
When he was captured, Mangione had in his possession a notebook that described Thompson’s assassination, which occurred as Thompson, a father of two sons, was en route to the UnitedHealth Group’s Investors Conference. One passage in the notebook mentioned taking out “the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.”
“It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents,” Mangione allegedly wrote in the notebook, CNN reported. Police also recovered a manifesto where Mangione allegedly called out “United,” adding, “To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.”
The charges indicting Mangione include one count of murder with a firearm, another firearms offense, and two counts of stalking. The charge of murder through the use of a firearm has a maximum sentence of death if Mangione is convicted. The state of Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested, has also brought charges against Mangione. He was caught at a McDonald’s in Altoona after police spent nearly a week searching for him.
Mangione was celebrated by some; the audience at a Saturday Night Live show, roughly two weeks after Thompson’s death, cheered when his name was mentioned.
SNL Weekend Update mentions CEO kiIIer Luigi Mangione and the crowd applauds & cheers pic.twitter.com/Hn6k2kTBp2
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 22, 2024
In the week after Thompson’s murder, “wanted” posters were plastered in Manhattan showing photos of the CEOs of at least two health insurance companies.
