Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal murder charge in UnitedHealthcare case

Brian Thompson was shot outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge after the death of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson. It comes after US prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him.

On Friday, April 25, Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers as he entered the plea, leaning forward towards a microphone as US District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if understood the indictment and the charges against him.

Mangione replied, “yes”. Asked how he wished to plead, Mangione said simply “not guilty” and sat down.

The 26-year-old's arraignment for the killing last December attracted several dozen people to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, including former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Mangione, who has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, arrived at court in a mustard-coloured jail suit. He could be seen chatting with one of his lawyers, death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz, as they waited for the arraignment to begin.

Late Thursday night, federal prosecutors filed a required notice of their intent to seek the death penalty, which came weeks after US attorney general Pam Bondi announced that she would be directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for what she called “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America”.

It was the first time the Justice Department said it was pursuing capital punishment since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20 with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.

Mangione’s lawyers have argued that Ms Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived him of his constitutional right to due process. They had sought to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

His federal indictment includes a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The indictment also charges him with stalking and a gun offence.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, faces separate federal and state murder charges after authorities say he gunned down Mr Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Mr Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

The killing and ensuing five-day search leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers deleting photos of executives from their websites and switching to online shareholder meetings.

Mangione was arrested on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Police said Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used in the shooting and other items including a notebook in which they say he expressed hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.

UnitedHealthcare, the largest US health insurer, has said Mangione was never a client.