Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO, pleads not guilty to federal charges

Mangione has been charged in both New York state and federal court for the murder of Brian Thompson on December 4. He has pleaded not guilty to the New York state charges.

This is the first case in which the Justice Department is seeking the death penalty since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Earlier this month, US Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed federal prosecutors in New York to pursue the death penalty against Mangione, calling Thompson’s shooting “a pre­med­i­tat­ed, cold­-blood­ed assassination”, according to Bloomberg.

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Mangione’s lawyers have argued that Bondi’s announcement was “unapologetically political” and breached government protocols for death penalty decisions.

According to Reuters, if Mangione is convicted in the federal case, the jury would determine whether to recommend the death penalty in a separate phase of the trial. Any such recommendation must be unanimous and the judge would be required to impose it.

UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing

The UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed on December 4 while he was walking towards a hotel for his firm’s annual investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.

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The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings.

While public officials condemned the killing, some Americans have cheered Mangione, saying he drew attention to steep U.S. healthcare costs and the power of health insurers to refuse payment for some treatments.