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U.S. prosecutors announced on Thursday their plans to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of murdering a UnitedHealth Group executive in New York last year.
Mangione, 26, is scheduled for an arraignment on Friday afternoon at the Manhattan federal court. He has entered a not guilty plea concerning a separate indictment at the state level in connection with the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division.
The justification for seeking the death penalty was laid out by prosecutors in their court filing. They stated that Mangione poses a future threat, as he allegedly expressed intentions to target an entire industry and provoke political and social opposition through acts of lethal violence.
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Justice Department’s decision to seek the death penalty in this case. The recent court filing by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan formalizes this intent.
Defense attorneys for Mangione criticized Bondi’s announcement, arguing that it was “unapologetically political” and violated established protocols regarding death penalty decisions.
If convicted in the federal case, a jury will consider a separate phase of the trial to determine whether to recommend the death penalty, requiring a unanimous agreement for the recommendation, which the judge must subsequently enforce.
WATCH l UnitedHealth executive addresses frustrations surrounding health insurance system:
Health-care CEO recognizes ‘flawed’ system following the murder of Brian Thompson | Canada Tonight
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty expressed his sorrow over the death of Brian Thompson in a New York Times opinion piece. He acknowledged the public’s frustrations with the “flawed” U.S. health-care system, marking his first remarks since the incident occurred.
Thompson was fatally shot on December 4 outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the company was convening for an investor conference. The shocking nature of the murder and the subsequent five-day manhunt drew significant attention across the nation.
Authorities in Altoona, Pennsylvania, apprehended Mangione with a 9-mm pistol and silencer. He was also found wearing clothing similar to that of the shooter as captured on surveillance footage and possessed a notebook containing plans to “wack” an insurance company CEO, according to court documents.
Public reactions to Mangione’s actions have been mixed; some individuals have lauded him despite his apparent lack of connection to UnitedHealth, viewing his actions as a critique of the exorbitant healthcare expenses in the U.S. and the authority health insurers have to deny coverage for specific treatments.
Mangione is currently being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn.
WATCH| Crowd gathers at New York courthouse during Mangione’s appearance:
Supporters turn out for Luigi Mangione’s court appearance in NYC
Well over a hundred supporters gathered outside a New York City courthouse for Mangione’s not guilty plea on first-degree murder and terrorism charges associated with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The decision to pursue the death penalty revives a practice that was notably employed during Donald Trump’s presidency, which saw 13 federal executions occurring between July 2020 and January 2021.
Prior to that surge, there had been a 17-year hiatus in federal executions, with none executed during Barack Obama’s presidency or the latter part of George W. Bush’s term.
Attorney General Merrick Garland implemented a moratorium on federal executions in 2021 while the procedures were reviewed. However, two cases originating before the Biden administration persisted—one involving an antisemitic assailant responsible for killing 11 individuals at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, and another related to a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo.
Under Garland’s leadership, the Justice Department chose not to pursue the death penalty for other mass shootings, including a case involving a shooter motivated by anti-immigrant sentiments, who killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019. That individual, Patrick Crusius, was recently sentenced to life in prison.
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