Accused assassin Luigi Mangione was indicted on federal charges Thursday and charged with two counts of stalking, a firearms offense, and murder with a firearm. If convicted on the final count, Mangione could be eligible for the death penalty.
Mangione is suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of Manhattan in December, in protest of the United States’ healthcare system. Thompson, a father of two, was on his way to a conference on December 4, 2024, when Mangione allegedly approached him and shot him point-blank.
The suspect was apprehended days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed prosecutors in early April to pursue the death penalty for Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to state charges. Mangione’s was an “act of political violence,” the Department of Justice said.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
Mangione’s defense accused the U.S. government of intending to “kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” lawyers said after Bondi made her announcement.
The 26-year-old suspect has gained somewhat of a fan club since the December shooting. Americans who sympathize with the message found in his manifesto, which decried “parasitic” healthcare companies, have rallied behind Mangione, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his legal defense fund, and organized protests in support of the accused.
Most recently, independent journalist Taylor Lorenz said in a CNN interview defended followers of the “handsome” and “smart” Mangione.
“It’s hilarious to see these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning a murderer when this is the United States of America — as if we don’t lionize criminals,” Lorenz said. “As if we don’t stan murderers of all sorts. We give them Netflix shows!”
“Here’s this man who, who’s a revolutionary, who’s famous, who’s handsome, who’s young, who’s smart — he’s a person that seems like a morally good man, which is hard to find,” she added.