Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in his federal death penalty case — as a judge warned government prosecutors to tell their bosses to heed the high-profile defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Before a packed courtroom in Manhattan federal court, the 26-year-old, wearing beige prison garb with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, stood and proclaimed he was not guilty of murder through the use of a firearm, which is death penalty eligible, stalking, and related offenses.
“Not guilty,” Mangione said after telling Manhattan Federal Judge Margaret Garnett he understood his rights.
In a press release April 1 — weeks before Mangione had been indicted — Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would seek the death penalty against him, the first sought since President Trump’s return to power, which Mangione’s attorneys have argued was premature and prejudiced his right to find an impartial jury.
The prosecution didn’t formally file their intent to seek capital punishment with the court until Thursday.
Garnett warned both sides about public commentary that could impede Mangione’s right to a fair trial, specifically telling Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Gentile to convey her directive to the new Trump-appointed head of the Southern District of New York prosecutor’s office, interim Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, and the AG herself.
“I’m specifically directing the government convey my directive to Mr. Clayton and request that he convey the same to Attorney General Bondi,” Garnett said.
The Maryland man has also been charged on the state level in an indictment filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with murder and terror offenses, carrying the possibility of life without parole if he is convicted.
He’s pleaded not guilty and is expected to go on trial first in that case, the feds said Friday. He also faces lower-level charges in Pennsylvania related to items he was allegedly in possession of upon his arrest.
Thompson was shot dead on Dec. 4 outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, where the 50-year-old father of two was arriving for an annual investor conference, with the gunman fleeing the scene. Shell casings at the Midtown scene bore the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” authorities say, in reference to the healthcare industry routinely denying claims to maximize profits.
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