Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty in Brian Thompson murder case

UPDATED: Apr 25, 2025 23:49 IST

Luigi Mangione, 26, pleaded not guilty on Friday to a federal murder charge for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors formally announced their intent to pursue the death penalty in the case.

Standing beside his lawyers, Mangione leaned toward a microphone as US District Judge Margaret Garnett asked if he understood the indictment and the charges brought against him. Mangione responded, "Yes." When prompted to enter his plea, he simply stated, "Not guilty," before taking his seat.

Mangione’s arraignment for the killing last December attracted several dozen people to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, including former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Mangione, who has been held in a jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, arrived to court in a mustard-colored jail suit. He chatted with one of his lawyers, death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz, as they wanted for the arraignment to begin.

Late Thursday night, federal prosecutors filed a required notice of their intent to seek the death penalty. This came just weeks after US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her directive for federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, describing the act as “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

It marked the first instance of the Justice Department seeking capital punishment since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20, reaffirming his commitment to resume federal executions, which had been paused under the previous administration.

Mangione’s defence team criticised Bondi’s announcement as a “political stunt,” claiming it tainted the grand jury process and violated his constitutional right to due process. They had filed motions to prevent prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty.

(With inputs from AP)