Legal professional Common Pam Bondi mentioned Tuesday that federal prosecutors will pursue the demise penalty for Luigi Mangione, the person accused of gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in entrance of a New York resort final yr.
“Luigi Mangione’s homicide of Brian Thompson – an harmless man and father of two younger youngsters – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Ms. Bondi mentioned in a press release. “After cautious consideration, I’ve directed federal prosecutors to hunt the demise penalty on this case as we feature out President Trump’s agenda to cease violent crime and Make America Protected Once more.”
The Justice Division mentioned Mr. Mangione’s alleged actions concerned substantial planning and premeditation as a result of it befell in public with bystanders close by and will have posed a “grave threat of demise” to members of the general public.
Mr. Mangione is dealing with each state and federal costs arising from the homicide of Thompson and has pleaded not responsible. He’ll head to court docket on the state costs first.
On the federal stage, Mr. Mangione faces 11 costs, together with first-degree homicide in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of stalking and one rely every of homicide via using a firearm and a firearms offense. Homicide by firearm carries the opportunity of the demise penalty. New York state has charged him with homicide and terror costs.
A federal choose overseeing the case in February appointed a demise penalty skilled to Mr. Mangione’s protection crew.
The assault occurred on a Manhattan avenue final December outdoors the Hilton Lodge as Thompson walked to UnitedHealth’s annual investor assembly.
The homicide prompted widespread dialogue on company greed and unfairness within the medical insurance coverage business, with some even elevating Thompson’s killer to folk-hero standing.
Federal prosecutors say Mr. Mangione had a spiral pocket book that included a number of handwritten pages expressing anger towards the medical health insurance business and rich CEOs. UnitedHealthcare is the most important well being insurer within the U.S., although it has publicly acknowledged that Mr. Mangione was by no means a shopper.
A federal jury can advocate the demise penalty if the defendant “had the requisite culpability with respect to the sufferer’s demise.” Nonetheless, a jury should additionally vote unanimously “that the annoying issue or components it has discovered sufficiently outweigh any mitigating components to justify a capital sentence.”
If the jury doesn’t unanimously vote for the demise penalty, the defendant might be given a lesser sentence.
Mr. Mangione is the primary defendant to face the demise penalty since Mr. Trump introduced in January that he’ll resume executions of federal demise row prisoners and forcefully pursue new demise sentences in future circumstances.
In an govt order signed shortly after being sworn in, Mr. Trump referred to as on the legal professional common to hunt the demise penalty for crimes “of a severity demanding its use.” These circumstances embody when regulation enforcement officers are murdered and when unlawful immigrants are capital defendants.
Mr. Trump’s renewed use of the demise penalty got here after President Biden signed an govt order commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal demise row.
Mr. Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania about 230 miles west of New York and was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and offering false identification to the police.
