Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday instructed prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year.
“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,” she continued.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, where the executive was set to address an annual investors meeting.
Mangione now faces two murder cases in connection with the killing, one brought by city authorities and the other by federal prosecutors.
One of Mangione’s four federal charges, murder through use of a firearm, would make him eligible for the death penalty, if convicted.
He has not yet entered a plea in that case, but Mangione has pleaded not guilty to his 11 state charges, which include murder.
Bondi’s announcement comes after Trump on his first day in office directed the Justice Department to reinvigorate the death penalty.
Former President Biden’s administration had issued a moratorium on federal executions, and Biden just before his term ended also commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
The Hill has reached out to Mangione’s legal team for comment.
