Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO as Trump’s DOJ seeks death penalty
Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday on a federal charge of killing the killing atCEO of UnitedHealthCare Brian ThompsonAs the prosecutors formally expressed their desire to seek the death penalty against him.
Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers as he entered the plea, leaning against a microphone as US District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if he understood the accusation and charges against him.
Mangione said, “Yes.” Asked how he wanted to please, Mangione simply said, “not guilty” and sat down.
Mangione's arraignment for the murder last December attracted several dozen people to the federal patio in Manhattan, along with former Army Intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.
Mangione, who was held in a federal jail in Brooklyn from the arrest, came to court in a mustard colored mustard. He chatted with one of his lawyers, the advice of the death penalty Avi Moskowitz, as they wanted to start arraignment.
Last Thursday night, federal prosecutors filed a necessary notice of their desire to seek the death penalty.
That came weeks after US lawyer Pam Pam Bondi announced that he would direct federal prosecutors who would seek the death penalty for what he called “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that surprised America.”
This is the first time the Department of Justice said that the capital's punishment has been pursued since President Donald Trump returned to office January 20Under the previous administration.
Mangione's lawyers argue that Bondi's announcement was a “political stimulation” that destroyed the Grand Jury process and removed her right to the Constitution in the appropriate process. They seek to prevent prosecutors from looking for a death penalty.
Mangione's federal accusation included a charge of killing by using a gun, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The accusation, which reflects a criminal complaint that was brought after the arrest of Mangione was also charged with arguing and a gunshot.
Mangione,A graduate of Ivy League from a well -known Maryland's real estate family, faced separate federal and state killing charges after authorities said he shot Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan Hotel on December 4 when the executive arrived for the annual UnitedNEALTHCARE investor conference.
State murder charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The tracking video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police said the words “delay,” “reject” and “depose” were that -scrat into ammunition, imitating a phrase commonly used to describeHow insurers avoid paying claims.
The murder and subsequent five-day search leading to the arrest of Mangione seized the business community, along with some health insurers who removed pictures of executives from their websites and switched to online shareholder meetings. At the same time, some health insurance critics rally around MangioneAs a stand-inFor failures in declines in scope and heavy medical measures.
Prosecutors said the two cases wereContinue in parallel tracksIn the case of the state it is expected to go to the trial first, but Mangione's lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said his defense team will seek to have a federal case because it has to do with the death penalty.
Mangione was arrested on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City and whisked to Manhattan by plane and helicopter.
Police said Mangione hadA 9mm handgunThat matched the one used in the shooting and other items including a notebook in which they said he expressed hate towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.
Among the entries, the prosecutors said, one from August 2024 that says “the target is insurance” because it “examines each box” and one from October describing a “wack” intent “wack” a CEO of the insurance company. UnitedHealthCare, the largest US health insurer, said Mangione was never a client.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
