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Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Murder Charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting
LuigiMangione'scase is moving forward.
Four months after the 26-year-old was charged in connection with the Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, he pleaded not guilty to federal charges April 25, according to NBC News reporters in the courtroom.
After presiding Judge Margaret Garnett read aloud his charges—two counts of stalking, one count of murder through a firearm, as well as one count of firearms offense for an allegation that he used a silencer—Mangione replied, "Not guilty."
Mangione's next hearing is set for Dec. 5, which is when a trial date will be set.
However, lead defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo requested that Mangione's federal case—which is running simultaneously with his state cases in New York and Pennsylvania—go to trial first since it carries the possibility of a death sentence.
His plea entry comes four months after he pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges brought by New York state prosecutors. (In Pennsylvania, he is facing five charges, where he has not entered a plea yet.)
While Mangione could face life in prison if found guilty in his New York case, President DonaldTrump'sAttorney General Pamela Bondi announced earlier this month that the Department of Justice will seek the death penalty if Mangione is federally convicted.
"Luigi 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 said in a statement April 1. "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."
Following the news, Friedman Agnifilo slammed the Justice Department for "defending the broken, immoral and murderous healthcare industry."
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"By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric," she wrote in a statement to NBC News. "Their decision to execute Luigi is political."
"We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, and the Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi," she continued. "Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man's life."
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For his part, Mangione expressed his gratitude for the support he's received while he's incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
"I am overwhelmed by—and grateful for—everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support," he wrote on his website in February. "While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write. I look forward to hearing more in the future."
Keep reading for a breakdown of what we know about the killing of Brian Thompson.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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