On Friday, the legal counsel for Luigi Mangione filed a motion in a Manhattan federal court, urging a judge to prevent prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty in the case involving the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Attorneys representing Mangione argued that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has violated his due process rights by deviating from standard protocols associated with seeking capital punishment. They contended that such actions have tainted the grand jury selection process that could potentially result in Mangione’s indictment.
“The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” the defense stated in a new filing submitted in U.S. District Court.
Attorney General Bondi announced on April 1 that she had directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against the 26-year-old, a University of Pennsylvania graduate.
“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 stated in a release from the Department of Justice at that time.
In their recent court documents, Mangione’s lawyers highlighted Bondi’s remarks, which suggested that the pursuit of the death penalty was aligned with President Trump’s agenda to tackle violent crime and ensure national safety.
“When the United States plans to kill one of its citizens, it must follow statutory and internal procedures. Defendant Luigi Mangione seeks court intervention now not merely because the government has faltered in these procedures but because it has completely abandoned them,” the defense attorneys wrote.
The filing also noted that Mangione’s counsel had requested a three-month period to prepare a comprehensive mitigation submission to the Department of Justice’s Capital Committee, but was met with silence from the government.
“We acknowledge and will address the boundaries and discretion of the Executive Branch, and how courts typically defer to the Executive’s established protocols,” the attorneys wrote.
However, they argued that the Attorney General’s conduct and public comments have strayed from the normative path.
The defense claimed that due to the manner in which the Attorney General has handled the case, Mangione’s due process rights have been infringed, which has adversely impacted the grand jury and compromised the integrity of the judicial process.
Mangione is charged in connection with Thompson’s death, which occurred on December 4 as the CEO approached a Hilton Hotel in Manhattan for a company event. Mangione was apprehended on December 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Legal proceedings against Mangione are unfolding in two separate courts in New York: Manhattan Supreme Court, a state trial court, and federal court, where he faces several charges, including murder and firearm offenses.
While he has not been indicted by a federal grand jury necessary for a trial, Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the state proceedings, where he faces charges of murder and other offenses.
If convicted in state court, he faces a potential life sentence without the possibility of parole, as New York does not permit the death penalty.
