Attorney General Seeks Death Penalty for Luigi Mangione

The Justice Department has said that it is seeking the death penalty for Luigi Mangione.

Mangione, the 26-year-old charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, 2024, faces federal murder charges that can carry the death penalty.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that after "careful consideration," she had directed prosecutors to seek capital punishment "as we carry out President Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again."

Bondi said in her statement that the murder of Thompson was "an act of political violence."

"By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric," Karen Friedman Agnifilo, of Agnifilo Intrater LLP, told Newsweek in a statement. "Their decision to execute Luigi is political and goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent."

The Context

The confirmation that the DOJ would seek the death penalty comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his return to the White House in January, paving the way to "revive" the punishment. In February, the president's move sparked a flurry of donations to Mangione's defense fund.

What To Know

Thompson was shot outside a midtown Manhattan hotel in early December as he arrived for a UnitedHealthcare conference. His shooting, caught on CCTV, sparked a multistate search for the suspected killer.

Mangione was detained five days later at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. Police said he had a firearm matching the one used in the shooting, a notebook expressing hostilities toward the health care industry, and a fake I.D.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his attorneys have criticized the handling of the case by competing local and federal jurisdictions.

The 26-year-old has become something of a folk hero for a segment of progressives who see him as taking action against an industry long hated by large swathes of the population.

Since his detention, Mangione has seen supporters donate thousands of dollars for his defense fund, gifts sent to his prison, and letters showing support and asking for his response.

When Trump signed the order regarding the death penalty, Mangione donors were quoted as being against "the politicization of anyone's potential death."

What People Are Saying

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, of Agnifilo Intrater LLP, told Newsweek in a statement: "While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi. By doing this, they are defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry that continues to terrorize the American people.

"We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, and the Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi. This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship. Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man's life."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a press release: "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. 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."

What Happens Next

The next hearing in Mangione's federal case is scheduled for April 18 in New York. He also faces six charges in New York state, with a hearing scheduled for June 26.

Update 4/1/25, 12:29 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 4/1/25, 1:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement by Karen Friedman Agnifilo.