US Attorney General Pamela Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing of healthcare executive Brian Thompson in New York last year.
Thompson, the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on December 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, where the company was gathering for an investor conference.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges of murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted in that case.
New York does not have the death penalty for state charges.
“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,” Ms 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.”
More to follow...
