Luigi Mangione, 26, pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The plea was entered in federal court in New York on April 25, hours after prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty according to The Guardian, BBC, and NBC News.
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street in December. Following a five-day manhunt, Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Authorities reported finding a 9mm ghost gun, fake IDs, and a manifesto critical of the American health insurance industry on his person.
In addition to federal charges, Mangione faces state-level murder charges in New York and weapons and forgery charges in Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to the New York charges but has not entered a plea in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced earlier this month that the Justice Department would seek the death penalty against Mangione as part of President Donald Trump’s “agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.” In their filing, DOJ prosecutors justified pursuing the death penalty by alleging Mangione sought to “amplify an ideological message” and “provoke broad-based resistance to the victim’s industry.” They argued that Mangione presents a future danger due to his expressed intent to target an entire industry and rally political and social opposition through lethal violence.
Mangione’s defense attorneys have called the death penalty pursuit a “political stunt” that has “indelibly prejudiced” the judicial process and any potential jurors. They are seeking to block the DOJ from pursuing capital punishment.
A fundraiser on GiveSendGo has raised more than $900,000 for Mangione’s legal defense.
Mangione is currently being held pretrial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same facility housing hip-hop mogul and accused sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs.
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The case has drawn national attention due to the high-profile nature of the victim and the severity of the charges. Legal experts note that the decision to seek the death penalty in this case may set a significant precedent for future prosecutions involving ideological motives.
The trial is expected to commence later this year, with both sides preparing for what is anticipated to be a complex and contentious legal battle.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the case continues to raise questions about the intersection of ideology, violence, and the justice system in the United States.
