Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal murder charge in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

NEW YORK – Luigi Mangione pleaded not blameworthy Friday to a national execution complaint successful the sidesplitting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson arsenic prosecutors formally declared their intent to question the decease punishment against him.

Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers arsenic helium entered the plea, leaning guardant toward a microphone arsenic U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if understood the indictment and the charges against him.

Mangione said, “yes.” Asked however helium wished to plead, Mangione said simply, “not guilty" and sat down.

Mangione’s arraignment for the sidesplitting past December attracted respective twelve radical to the national courthouse successful Manhattan, including erstwhile Army quality expert Chelsea Manning, who served astir 7 years successful situation for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Mangione, who has been held successful a national jailhouse successful Brooklyn since his arrest, arrived to tribunal successful a mustard-colored jailhouse suit. He chatted with 1 of his lawyers, decease punishment counsel Avi Moskowitz, arsenic they wanted for the arraignment to begin.

Late Thursday night, national prosecutors filed a required announcement of their intent to question the decease penalty.

That came weeks aft U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she would beryllium directing national prosecutors to question the decease punishment for what she called “an enactment of governmental violence" and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

It was the archetypal clip the Justice Department said it was pursuing superior punishment since President Donald Trump returned to bureau Jan. 20 with a vow to resume national executions aft they were halted under the erstwhile administration.

Mangione’s lawyers person argued that Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the expansive assemblage process and deprived him of his law close to owed process. They had sought to artifact prosecutors from seeking the decease penalty.

Mangione’s national indictment includes a complaint of execution done usage of a firearm, which carries the anticipation of the decease penalty. The indictment, which mirrors a transgression ailment brought aft Mangione’s apprehension besides charges him with stalking and a weapon offense.

Mangione, an Ivy League postgraduate from a salient Maryland existent property family, faces abstracted national and authorities execution charges aft authorities accidental helium gunned down Thompson, 50, extracurricular a Manhattan edifice connected Dec. 4 arsenic the enforcement arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s yearly capitalist conference.

The authorities execution charges transportation a maximum punishment of beingness successful prison.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police accidental the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled connected the ammunition, mimicking a operation commonly utilized to picture how insurers debar paying claims.

The sidesplitting and ensuing five-day hunt starring to Mangione’s apprehension rattled the concern community, with immoderate wellness insurers deleting photos of executives from their websites and switching to online shareholder meetings. At the aforesaid time, immoderate wellness security critics person rallied astir Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations implicit sum denials and hefty aesculapian bills.

Prosecutors person said the 2 cases volition proceed connected parallel tracks, with the authorities lawsuit expected to spell to proceedings first, but Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said his defence squad would question to person the national lawsuit instrumentality precedent due to the fact that it involves the decease penalty.

Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 successful Altoona, Pennsylvania, astir 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) westbound of New York City and whisked to Manhattan by level and helicopter.

Police said Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the 1 utilized successful the shooting and different items including a notebook successful which they accidental helium expressed hostility toward the wellness security manufacture and affluent executives.

Among the entries, prosecutors said, was 1 from August 2024 that said “the people is insurance” due to the fact that “it checks each box” and 1 from October that describes an intent to “wack” an security institution CEO. UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. wellness insurer, has said Mangione was ne'er a client.

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