By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division Brian Thompson in New York last year.
Lawyers for Mangione did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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.
Mangione faces a parallel federal indictment in Manhattan federal court over Thompson’s killing. He could face the death penalty if convicted in that case. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea to the federal charges.
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.
“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, an appointee of Republican President Donald Trump, 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,” Bondi said.
The brazen killing of Thompson and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans.
While public officials condemned the killing, some Americans who decry steep healthcare costs and the power of health insurers to refuse to pay for some treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Katharine Jackson in Washington and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Bill Berkrot)
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