Luigi Mangione asked a federal judge in New York on Friday to prevent the government from seeking the death penalty if he is convicted of federal charges in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, claiming the Justice Department violated protocol in a “political, arbitrary, capricious” manner.
“When the United States plans to kill one of its citizens, it must follow statutory and internal procedures,” defense counsel Karen Friedman Agnifilo stated. “Mangione seeks Court intervention now not merely because the Government has failed to follow these procedures but because it has abandoned them.”
The defense petition came after Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a press release earlier this month stating that she ordered the death sentence for Mangione to “carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
The defense said it was never given the opportunity to argue for a reprieve.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher.” “The US government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” the defense claimed. “We recognize and will address the Executive Branch’s authority and discretion, as well as how courts often defer to the Executive’s established procedures. However, the Attorney General’s actions and public pronouncements in this case did not follow the normal pattern. Because the Attorney General opted to proceed in this manner, Mr. Mangione’s Due Process rights have already been violated, and the Government’s actions have biased the grand jury pool and corrupted the grand jury process.”
Agnifilo argued that Bondi’s comments, made before Mangione was charged on federal charges, was improper and “prejudiced the grand jury process.” She asked the judge to prevent the government from seeking the death penalty, and she demanded that the government turn over papers and notes pertaining to the attorney general’s directive.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4 as the CEO was on his way to an investors conference. He was caught in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the murder.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state counts.
He has not filed a plea to the federal accusations. He’s expected back in federal court next week.