(Bloomberg) — Luigi Mangione’s lawyer sought a court order barring federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against him for allegedly murdering UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson, saying US Attorney General Pam Bondi was seeking execution as a “political stunt.”
Bondi issued an April 1 press release saying she had directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to pursue capital punishment for Mangione for committing “a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination.” She also said the move was part of President Donald Trump’s “agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said in a Friday court filing that Bondi’s statement violated established protocol for seeking the federal death penalty and that her invocation of Trump’s agenda made clear that her decision was based on politics rather than the law.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Friedman Agnifilo said. “The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt.”
Mangione, 26, is charged with fatally shooting Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel in December before fleeing and touching off a manhunt that ended with his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Mangione has been hailed as folk hero for many who say he expressed their rage at the health-care system.
Mangione was indicted on state murder charges by the Manhattan district attorney’s office days after his December arrest. He was also charged in a federal criminal complaint.
Friedman Agnifilo said Friday that the existence of the state case “undercuts the federal interest in the death penalty.” She said Bondi’s statement, which was also posted on Instagram, could taint the jury pool for both cases.
The defense lawyer pointed to other decisions by the Trump Justice Department that she characterized as political in nature, including dismissing corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, deporting a Salvadoran man despite an order barring his removal, and issuing executive orders against major US law firms.
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