Luigi Mangione heads to federal court as DOJ debuts death penalty 'shift': ex-federal prosecutor

Luigi Mangione volition look successful national tribunal connected Friday day to beryllium arraigned connected national charges arsenic the Department of Justice has indicated it volition question the decease punishment aft helium allegedly assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The Department of Justice obtained an indictment against Mangione successful the Southern District of New York. Mangione was charged with stalking and murdering Thompson arsenic good arsenic utilizing physics communications, interstate question and a firearm erstwhile helium allegedly killed the healthcare security CEO connected Dec. 4, 2024.

If the 26-year-old is convicted of execution done the usage of a firearm, Mangione could look the decease penalty, arsenic national prosecutors person indicated successful tribunal filings.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital that the Department of Justice's openness to utilizing the decease punishment indicates a stark quality from the Biden administration.

ACCUSED CEO ASSASSIN LUIGI MANGIONE INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES

Luigi Mangione appears successful Manhattan Criminal Court for a presumption proceeding successful New York City connected Feb. 21, 2025. (Curtis Means/Pool)

"Two caller national prosecutions aft the authorities were Derek Chauvin for the execution of George Floyd and [Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael] and [William "Roddie" Bryan] for the decease of Ahmaud Arbery, some of which rise civilian rights issues," Rahmani said. "But we're seeing a wide displacement successful the DOJ wherever the Department of Justice is going to prosecute decease punishment cases successful bluish states that either person a moratorium oregon a prohibition oregon person outright repealed the decease penalty. 

"So this is each governmental connected some sides, but I bash judge we're seeing a displacement successful DOJ argumentation here," helium added.

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When erstwhile President Biden took bureau successful 2021, his medication ordered a moratorium connected national executions successful cases that don't impact coercion oregon wide murders that were hate-motivated. Before leaving office, Biden commuted the decease sentences of 37 retired of 40 inmates to beingness sentences without the anticipation of parole. 

Dylann Roof, who was convicted of sidesplitting 9 radical astatine Mother Emanuel AME Church successful Carleston, South Carolina, didn't person a commutation from Biden. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for his relation successful the Boston Marathon bombing, besides didn't person a commutation from Biden.

LUIGI MANGIONE'S DEFENSE FILES MOTION TO PRECLUDE DEATH PENALTY IN HIS FEDERAL CASE

Brian Thompson (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group)

Luigi Mangione (Curtis Means for DailyMail/Pool)

In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump indicated helium would nonstop the Department of Justice to restart its usage of the decease punishment for criminals who are among the astir violent.

"As soon arsenic I americium inaugurated, I volition nonstop the Justice Department to vigorously prosecute the decease punishment to support American families and children from convulsive rapists, murderers and monsters," Trump said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced successful an April 1 Instagram station that her Department of Justice would beryllium seeking the decease penalty.

"Luigi Mangione’s execution of Brian Thompson – an guiltless antheral and begetter of 2 young children – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America. After cautious consideration, I person directed national prosecutors to question the decease punishment successful this lawsuit arsenic we transportation retired President Trump’s docket to halt convulsive transgression and Make America Safe Again," Bondi said.

"I bash judge we're seeing a displacement successful DOJ argumentation here."

Mangione's lawyers took contented with Bondi's announcement, alleging that the authorities violated their client's owed process rights by commenting connected a pending transgression lawsuit extracurricular of court. His lawyers are attempting to preclude the decease punishment from being utilized successful the national case.

SUSPECTED UNITEDHEALTHCARE ASSASSIN LUIGI MANGIONE'S PLAN TO 'WACK' CEO REVEALED IN JOURNAL ENTRIES: AFFIDAVIT

UnitedHealthcare office successful Minnetonka, Minn. (iStock)

The suspected gunman successful UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder, believed to beryllium Luigi Mangione, is seen flirting with a hostel worker connected surveillance footage earlier the Dec. 4, 2024, shooting. (NYPD)

Thompson, who lived successful Minnesota, was successful New York City for a publically announced shareholder conference. An earlier national ailment alleges that Mangione traveled by autobus from Atlanta to New York City and arrived astatine the Port Authority autobus terminal successful Manhattan connected Nov. 24, 2024.

Mangione allegedly checked into a hostel nether a fake New Jersey licence nether the sanction "Mark Rosario." Prior to allegedly shooting Thompson, the University of Pennsylvania postgraduate was seen riding an electrical bicycle to a spot adjacent the New York Hilton Midtown hotel.

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He was arrested astatine a McDonald's successful Pennsylvania, and prosecutors recovered a notebook afloat of writings which they accidental depicted a calculated assassination attempt, successful summation to a "ghost gun."

Mangione besides faces charges successful New York and Pennsylvania successful summation to the national charges. He has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Michael Ruiz and Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.