Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Murder Charge in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
A 26-year-old man, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. Mangione appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, where he entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett.
According to The Independent, Mangione’s arraignment was attended by several dozen people, including former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables. Mangione, who has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, was dressed in a mustard-colored jail suit and chatted with one of his lawyers, death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz, before the arraignment.
The charges against Mangione stem from the killing of Thompson, 50, who was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2020. The Independent reported that surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind, with the words "delay," "deny," and "depose" scrawled on the ammunition. These phrases are commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Federal prosecutors have formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against Mangione, who faces a federal indictment that includes a charge of murder through use of a firearm. This charge carries the possibility of the death penalty. Mangione’s lawyers have argued that the announcement by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was a "political stunt" that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived him of his constitutional right to due process.
As reported by The Independent, Bondi announced that she would be directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for what she called "an act of political violence" and a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America." This was the first time the Justice Department said it was pursuing capital punishment since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20, 2021, with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.
Mangione’s lawyers have sought to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty, but the federal indictment includes a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The indictment also charges him with stalking and a gun offense. Mangione faces separate federal and state murder charges, with the state charges carrying a maximum punishment of life in prison.
The killing and ensuing five-day search leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers deleting photos of executives from their websites and switching to online shareholder meetings. Some health insurance critics have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.
According to The Independent, prosecutors have said that the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state case expected to go to trial first. However, Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said his defense team would seek to have the federal case take precedent because it involves the death penalty.
Mangione was arrested on December 9, 2020, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of New York City. Police said he had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used in the shooting and other items, including a notebook in which they say he expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.
The notebook entries, as reported by The Independent, included one from August 2024 that said "the target is insurance" because "it checks every box" and one from October that describes an intent to "wack" an insurance company CEO. UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer, has said Mangione was never a client.
The case is ongoing, with Mangione’s defense team preparing to argue against the death penalty. As reported by The Independent, the case has sparked a heated debate about the role of health insurance companies and the consequences of their actions.
Source: The Independent – Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal murder charge in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
