UnitedHealthcare killing suspect Luigi Mangione indicted on death penalty-eligible charges

Luigi Mangione, the Maryland man accused of gunning down a UnitedHealthcare executive outside a Manhattan hotel last December, was indicted Thursday on at least one charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office could not say when he would be arraigned on the indictment.

Mangione, 26, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, was arrested on Dec. 9 after a week-long manhunt and accused of killing health insurance executive Brian Thompson, a married father of two, outside a conference at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown.

The killing sparked an outpouring of support for the gunman from people frustrated with the red tape and denials of coverage in health insurance.

Mangione was tied to the killing after diners at an Altoona McDonald’s alerted police that he looked like the suspect in surveillance photos released by police. Authorities found a gun, ammunition and a manifesto in Mangione’s bag that further implicated him in the crime.

After being charged in Pennsylvania with illegal weapons possession and other charges, he was extradited to New York, where there was a brief tug of war over whether he would be arraigned in federal or state court.

In the end, both the Manhattan District Attorney and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney filed charges against him, but the two authorities agreed that the local prosecutor’s case would proceed first.

On April 1, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement announcing that the Department of Justice would seek the death penalty against Mangione for murder through the use of a firearm.

“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 said in her statement.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, the lawyer for Luigi Mangione wrote in a brief at the time: "The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt." 

She said that she asked for three months to prepare a legal brief traditionally submitted before the government determines to bring a capital punishment case. But instead, the defense lawyer said, federal prosecutors opted to play for headlines without giving her sufficient time to make her arguments.

It's the first death penalty case sought by the Justice Department since Trump returned to office in January with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.

The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings. 

 With AP