Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, as prosecutors move forward with plans to seek the death penalty.
Luigi Mangione, 26, entered a not guilty plea on Friday to federal charges related to the killing of Brian Thompson, the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit UnitedHealthcare. The plea was entered during an arraignment before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in a packed Manhattan courtroom.
Mangione, dressed in a tan jail-issued t-shirt, had previously pleaded not guilty to separate state-level charges in New York over the same incident, which occurred on 4 December outside a midtown Manhattan hotel hosting a company investor event.
The shooting and subsequent five-day manhunt drew national attention, particularly after investigators discovered shell casings at the scene inscribed with the words "deny," "delay," and "depose"—a phrase some associate with criticism of U.S. health insurance practices.
Although the killing was broadly condemned by public officials, some members of the public expressed sympathy for Mangione, citing frustrations over the high cost of healthcare and the power wielded by insurers in claim decisions.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors formally announced their intention to pursue the death penalty, stating that Mangione poses an ongoing threat due to what they described as his plan to target the health insurance industry and provoke wider opposition through violence.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously declared the Justice Department’s intent to seek capital punishment earlier this month, a move Mangione’s defence team called "unapologetically political" and contrary to protocol for death penalty cases.
Should Mangione be convicted in federal court, a separate penalty phase would follow, during which the jury must unanimously agree on whether to recommend the death penalty. If they do, the judge would be required to impose it.
Mangione is currently being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn as he awaits trial.
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