OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:12 PM – Friday April 25, 2025
26-year-old Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to federal murder charges on Friday in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December.
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Mangione is accused of murdering Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel with a 9mm 3-D printed ghost gun, which left shell casings at the scene with the inscribed words “deny,” “depose,” and “delay.”
The words reference sentiments by critics of the healthcare insurance industry who argue that companies’ mercenary mission is to save money by denying legitimate insurance claims — thus “toying” with people’s health and lives.
Despite Mangione’s more recent claims regarding his alleged “innocence,” during his arrest in December 2024, authorities discovered a handwritten, 262-word document in his possession. This document, described by police as a “claim of responsibility,” or manifesto, outlines his motivations and mindset.
He expressed disdain for the U.S. healthcare system, labeling its leaders as “parasites,” and the letter justifies his actions as a response to perceived corporate greed and systemic failures. Mangione also emphasized that he acted alone and acknowledged the trauma caused, stating: “I do apologize for any strife or traumas, but it had to be done.”
Following the murder, Mangione purportedly fled the crime scene on a bicycle, which triggered a five day manhunt before he was finally arrested at a McDonalds restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9th.
Mangione appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to four counts, which included stalking and murder via the use of a firearm.
If convicted, Mangione is eligible for the death sentence, as Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the DOJ to seek the maximum punishment.
“Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson – an innocent man and father of two young children – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi stated. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
In response, prosecutors filed a notice seeking the death penalty. They also argued that Mangione possessed the aspiration “to provoke broad-based resistance” to the healthcare industry, while expressing the “future dangerousness” that he represents.
“Mangione presents a future danger because he expressed intent to target an entire industry, and rally political and social opposition to that industry, by engaging in an act of lethal violence,” the notice stated. “And he took steps to evade law enforcement, flee New York City immediately after the murder, and cross state lines while armed with a privately manufactured firearm and silencer.”
Mangione’s next hearing date is set for December 5th.
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