By Matthew Xiao, The Washington Free Beacon
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday that she is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the accused murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“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,” 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.”
Mangione, 26, is accused of murdering Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4.
He has pleaded not guilty to all state charges but has not yet entered a plea to federal charges. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on April 18.
Bondi’s announcement follows her February 5 memo that rescinded the moratorium on federal executions that former Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed in 2021.
The policy shift came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day directing the Department of Justice to restore the death penalty in appropriate federal cases.
“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,” Bondi said in the Tuesday statement.
