Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Brian Thompson Murder; Death-Penalty Trial Set for 2026
Luigi Mangione, 26, entered a plea of not guilty in Manhattan federal court on Friday to charges of interstate stalking and the politically-motivated murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors say Mangione gunned down the insurance executive outside a Midtown hotel on 4 December, leaving shell casings engraved with “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” — words critics link to health-insurance claim denials.
Attorney-General Pam Bondi has authorized prosecutors to seek the death penalty, contending the killing was meant to “amplify an ideological message” against the private-health-care industry. Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo blasted the decision as “barbaric,” told the judge state officials had eavesdropped on privileged jail calls, and argued the federal capital case should be tried before state terrorism charges to avoid constitutional conflicts.
Judge Margaret Garnett ordered prosecutors to turn over three terabytes of digital evidence and scheduled the next status conference for 5 December, warning that a “firm trial date” will be set then. With discovery expected to take months, the capital trial will not begin before 2026—keeping the high-profile case, and the debate over America’s privatized health-care system, in the spotlight for years.
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