Federal Prosecutors Seeks Death Penalty For Luigi Mangione In Brain Thompson’s Killing

The Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, is planning to pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione. He is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione faces both state and federal charges, and his case will start in New York courts. If federal charges are applied, they could lead to capital punishment.  

Luigi Mangione, 26 years old, faces charges both at the state and federal levels for the shooting of Brain Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last December. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges. On the federal side, he has been charged with murder involving a firearm, as well as additional charges related to weapons and stalking.  

Bondi stated, “The Department of Justice will once again act as the law demands pursuing the death penalty in appropriate cases and swiftly implementing those sentences in accordance with the law.”  

Mangione is currently in federal custody in Brooklyn. His case will first be handled by the state courts in New York. If he is found guilty, he could face a life sentence in prison without the chance of being released. Additionally, he is facing federal charges that could potentially lead to the death penalty. 

However, in 2004, New York abolished the death penalty after the state’s highest court ruled that its death penalty statute was unconstitutional. Since then, all attempts to reinstate capital punishment have failed. In 2008, Governor David Paterson issued an executive order to remove all death row equipment from state facilities, effectively ending the practice of capital punishment in New York. 

While New York’s state courts no longer impose the death penalty, federal charges like Mangione’s can still carry this punishment. This distinction is critical because, despite New York’s ban, federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty for crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction, as is the case with Mangione’s alleged crimes.