Luigi Mangione set to appear in court on federal indictment next week
Luigi Mangione, the man charged in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder in New York City, will be arraigned on federal charges next Friday, April 25.
Mangione was indicted Thursday on two counts of stalking, a firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm.
If convicted, the last charge is eligible for the death penalty, which federal prosecutors say they plan to pursue.
Luigi Mangione formally indicted on federal charges
Federal prosecutors first announced the charges against Mangione shortly after he was arrested in December, but he was not formally indicted until this week.
The U.S. Department of Justice indictment alleges his actions "constituted a reckless disregard for human life" in the killing of Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024 outside a hotel in Manhattan. The husband and father of two was on his way to an investors conference when he was shot on the sidewalk.
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi defended her call for the death penalty, saying she has received death threats from the suspect's supporters.
"The president's directive was very clear, we are to seek the death penalty when possible," Bondi said on April 6.
Mangione's attorney declined to comment on the federal indictment, pointing instead to her earlier comments, which said in part, "Luigi is caught in a high stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man's life."
Mangione also faces state charges in New York, Pennsylvania
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 11 state charges in New York and four others in Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody at a McDonald's.
He is now awaiting next week's arraignment, where he can enter a plea on the four-count federal arraignment.
"In an ordinary case in ordinary times, the state and federal government would work out things like who goes to trial first, which gets priority," legal expert Richard Schoenstein explained. "I don't believe the federal government and New York state prosecutors are getting along very well."
Mangione is being held in federal custody at Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, along with Sean "Diddy" Combs and other high-profile defendants.
