Alleged CEO Killer Luigi Mangione Indicted on Federal Charges – Here’s What We Know
A grand jury’s decision in a high-profile Manhattan case opens the door to the death penalty, marking a grave turn in a CEO’s shocking December killing.
Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last year, is now facing formal federal charges. The grand jury’s decision escalates a case already fraught with political overtones and legal challenges.
According to ABC News, the grand jury in New York returned a four-count indictment, charging Mangione with two counts of stalking, a firearms offense, and murder through the use of a firearm. It is the murder charge involving a firearm that makes him eligible for the death penalty under federal law.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on February 21, 2025 | Source: Getty Images.
The charges stem from allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown before fatally shooting him on December 4, 2024, as the executive headed to an investors’ conference. He was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being named in a federal complaint.
The indictment quickly drew attention from the highest levels of federal law enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has indicated her intent to pursue the death penalty. In a press release earlier this month, she framed the decision as part of an effort to “carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”.
The statement prompted swift opposition from Mangione’s defense team. In a motion filed last week, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued that Bondi’s remarks — made prior to the indictment — were “improper” and had “prejudiced the grand jury process.”.
She asked the court to block the government from seeking the death penalty and to release internal documents related to the attorney general’s directive.
“The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” the defense stated in the filing. Mangione also faces state charges in connection with the same incident and has pleaded not guilty.