Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on a federal homicide cost within the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a obligatory step for prosecutors to hunt the loss of life penalty.
The indictment returned by a grand jury in Manhattan federal court docket additionally expenses Mangione with two counts of stalking and a firearms depend.
It was not instantly clear when the 26-year-old Mangione might 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 expenses. He is accused of taking pictures Thompson, 50, within the again outdoors a Manhattan resort 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 loss of life penalty, following by means of on the president’s marketing campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment.
It is the primary loss of life 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 unexpectedly switching to distant work or on-line shareholder conferences.
It additionally galvanized medical health 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 taking pictures 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.
