The U.S. Department of Justice will pursue capital punishment in the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday that federal prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate accused of gunning down Thompson outside Manhattan's Hilton Hotel last December. The killing occurred as Thompson was heading to a UnitedHealth Group investor meeting, as reported by CNBC.
The Justice Department characterized Thompson's murder as "an act of political violence," citing evidence of "substantial planning and premeditation."
"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 the DOJ's statement. The announcement emphasized that the public nature of the killing "may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons."
Previously:
• First trailer for new Luigi Mangione propaganda documentary
• Luigi Mangione shares first public statement since incarceration
• Luigi Mangione's manifesto
• Luigi Mangione planned to kill CEO with bomb, then realized it 'could kill innocents'
• New York Times memo tells staff to avoid showing Luigi Mangione's face
• Luigi Mangione now at prison known as 'Hell on Earth'
• Stack Exchange accused of violating Creative Commons to hide Luigi Mangione's posts
