US authorities will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione in relation to the murder of Brian Thompson, chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest healthcare provider.
Pam Bondi, US attorney-general, on Tuesday directed federal prosecutors to pursue capital punishment for the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, who was charged with murder and stalking in the death of Thompson, who was shot outside a midtown New York City hotel on December 4.
The move is a dramatic escalation in a high-profile case that has gripped the nation, with Mangione drawing acclaim from some people with anti-capitalist views or aggrieved at the country’s sometimes costly or capricious healthcare system.