(DCNF)—Federal prosecutors will pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione in the murder of a health insurance executive in New York, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is directing prosecutors to seek Mangione’s execution “after careful consideration” in alignment with President Donald Trump’s mission “to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again” in a press release Tuesday. Mangione faces charges in federal, New York and Pennsylvania courts over the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December, a case that became a symbol of outrage toward America’s healthcare system.
“The murder was an act of political violence,” the DOJ said. “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.”
https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1907089925540823211
The DOJ also said the decision adheres to a Trump administration push to ramp up executions of violent criminals, rolling back a “moratorium” by former President Joe Biden.
Mangione’s legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Mangione was first charged by New York in December with murder “in furtherance of an act of terrorism,” illegal weapon possession and forgery over the death of Thompson, a father of two who was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel. The DOJ later charged him with stalking, murder and using a weapon with a silencer for a violent crime. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, have accused him of illegal gun possession, forgery and false identification to police.
Mangione has drawn a fanbase of radical critics of the healthcare system, with numerous fans overwhelming a Brooklyn jail with fan mail for him. A January poll also found that most college students sympathize with his alleged actions.
New York officials say they found the words “deny,” “depose” and “delay” written on the bullets and shell casings Mangione allegedly used, a reference to health insurance employees withholding care.
Mangione’s next court appearance is in a New York federal court on April 18, according to his legal team’s website.
