Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on a federal homicide cost within the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a vital step for prosecutors to hunt the dying penalty.
The indictment returned by a grand jury in Manhattan federal court docket additionally fees Mangione with two counts of stalking and a firearms depend.
It was not instantly clear when the 26-year-old Mangione can be arraigned. A message in search of remark was left for a spokesperson for his legal professionals.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a outstanding Maryland actual property household, additionally faces separate state homicide fees. He is accused of capturing Thompson, 50, within the again outdoors a Manhattan lodge on Dec. 4 as the chief arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor convention.
U.S. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi introduced this month that she had directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to hunt the dying penalty, following via on the president’s marketing campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment.
It is the primary dying penalty case sought by the Justice Division since President Donald Trump returned to workplace in January with a vow to renew federal executions after they have been halted beneath the earlier administration.
The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt resulting in Mangione’s arrest rattled the enterprise group, with some well being insurers swiftly switching to distant work or on-line shareholder conferences.
It additionally galvanized medical insurance critics — a few of whom have rallied round Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over protection denials and hefty medical payments.
Surveillance video confirmed a masked gunman capturing Thompson from behind. Police say the phrases “delay,” “deny” and “depose” have been scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase generally used to explain how insurers keep away from paying claims.
