The Justice Department will seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last December, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday. The move marks the Biden-era moratorium's official end and the Trump administration's first step toward reinstating federal executions.
"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. She described the killing as "an act of political violence" and pledged to "swiftly implement" capital sentences where the law permits.
Mangione faces both state and federal charges. A Manhattan grand jury indicted him on 11 counts, including first- and second-degree murder, terrorism-related offenses, and multiple weapons and forgery charges. Federally, he is charged with murder through use of a firearm, stalking, and firearms offenses-charges that carry potential capital punishment. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges and has not entered a plea in federal court.
Bondi's decision comes as President Donald Trump accelerates his return to hardline federal crime policy. On his first day back in office in January, Trump signed an executive order directing prosecutors to "pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use."
The killing occurred in Midtown Manhattan just outside a hotel where UnitedHealthcare was hosting an investor conference. Surveillance video reportedly showed a masked gunman ambush Thompson from behind. Authorities said bullets recovered from the scene were etched with the words "delay," "deny," and "depose," referencing public frustrations with insurance claim denials.
Mangione, a former Ivy League student, was apprehended in Altoona, Pa., following a five-day manhunt. Police said he was armed with a 9mm handgun matching the murder weapon and carried a fake ID and a notebook that authorities later described as a manifesto. Federal prosecutors have cited entries from the notebook referencing plans to assassinate an insurance executive and justifying the attack as targeting "corporate greed."
He is currently in federal custody in Brooklyn, though the state case is expected to proceed first. His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has contested the parallel prosecutions, stating Mangione is being treated like a "human ping-pong ball." She has also signaled plans to challenge evidence obtained during the arrest.
Avraham Moskowitz, a veteran death penalty defense lawyer, recently joined Mangione's legal team. Moskowitz has represented more than 50 defendants facing federal capital charges in New York.
UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the U.S., said Mangione was never a customer. Nonetheless, the case has triggered national debate over the health care industry, as Mangione's writings and online presence have drawn a base of supporters who have raised over $700,000 toward his legal expenses.
Trump's renewed push for the death penalty follows a series of Biden-era commutations. In the final days of his presidency, Biden converted 37 federal death row sentences to life without parole. Only three inmates remain: Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers.
Bondi condemned the Biden administration's approach in a February memo, stating it "severely undermined the rule of law." On Tuesday, she added: "This shameful era ends today."
