Luigi Mangione has been indicted on a count of murder through the use of a firearm in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.
A New York grand jury handed up a total of four indictments on April 17 in federal court in the Southern District of New York. Two were for alleged stalking and one was a firearms offense.
The indictment alleges that Mangione committed the offenses after substantial planning and premeditation.
The grand jury charges that from about Nov. 24, 2024, and up to about Dec. 4, 2024, Mangione traveled by interstate commerce and across state lines via bus for the purpose of stalking and killing Thompson on West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Attorney General Pamela Bondi has directed acting United States Attorney Matthew Podolsky to 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. 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," Bondi said by statement.
This is in line with Bondi's Day One Memo as Attorney General titled "Reviving The Federal Death Penalty And Lifting The Moratorium On Federal Executions," according to the AG statement.
The murder was an act of political violence, Bondi said.
Last week, Mangione's attorneys asked the judge to block Bondi from seeking the death penalty against their client, arguing the defendant's due process rights were violated and that the federal government's efforts had "corrupted" the grand jury process, according to The Hill.
THE LARGER TREND
Mangione is charged with the fatal shooting of Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, as Thompson was walking to a UnitedHealth Group Investor Conference.
In a manifesto, Mangione reportedly viewed the killing as a "symbolic takedown" of the healthcare industry.
In December, a charge of first degree murder was among 11 charges brought against Mangione by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to these charges and four other counts in Pennsylvania.
The recent murder indictment is realleged, according to the court.
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org