U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi wants federal prosecutors to seek the highest form of punishment for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December.
The charges against Mangione include first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon and stalking. The possibility of Mangione facing the death penalty if convicted has been open ever since he was hit with a federal murder by firearm charge. Now, Bondi has directed Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky to seek that very outcome.
“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 wrote in a statement Tuesday. “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, a Trump appointee, has served as U.S. Attorney General since Feb. 5, the day after she was confirmed for the position by a 54-46 Senate vote. The former Florida attorney general and Trump defense lawyer stepped up to the federal position after Trump’s original pick, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration following widespread pushback against his nomination.
Bondi’s directive Tuesday falls in line with her overarching agenda as attorney general, part of which was outlined in a memo she published on Feb. 5, her first day in office, entitled, “Reviving The Federal Death Penalty And Lifting The Moratorium On Federal Executions.” The memo made clear Bondi’s belief in the death penalty as “a just punishment for the most egregious crimes.”
Bondi’s directive also comes several months after President Trump signed an executive order entitled, “Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety,” in which he ordered that “the Attorney General shall pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use.”
Mangione, who has become a folk hero among Americans who feel disillusioned with the current state of the American healthcare system, is next set to appear in federal court on April 18. He has pleaded not guilty to murder, terrorism and all the state charges levied against him.
