Trump Admin to Ramp Up Death Penalty Cases

The Trump administration will be seeking the death penalty "whenever possible," Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Bondi announced on Tuesday that she will be directing federal prosecutors to pursue capital punishment for Luigi Mangione. Mangione, 26, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in Manhattan in December 2024. He was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day search.

At the federal level, Mangione is charged with two counts of stalking, one count of murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense. He is also charged at the state level in New York and Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

What To Know

Bondi said the administration is following a directive issued by President Donald Trump.

"The president's directive was very clear," Bondi told Fox News Sunday. "We are to seek the death penalty when possible. And, you know, it hadn't been done in four years."

Trump signed an executive order on January 20 entitled "Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety." The order directs the attorney general to seek the death penalty "for all crimes of a severity demanding its use."

The action ended a moratorium on federal executions enacted by former President Joe Biden's administration.

Bondi explained why she is pursuing capital punishment in Mangione's case.

"If there was ever a death case, this is one," Bondi told Fox News's Shannon Bream. "This guy is charged with hunting down a CEO, a father of two, a married man. Hunting him down and executing him."

While government officials have condemned the killing, Mangione has gained support among some people, including younger individuals. Bondi said these young people "have lost their way."

"I was receiving death threats for seeking the death penalty on someone who is charged with an execution of a CEO," she said. "We're going to continue to do the right thing. We're not going to be deterred by political motives."

Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said his legal team is prepared to fight his federal and state charges.

"This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship," Agnifilo said in a statement last week. "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."

What People Are Saying

Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a statement on Tuesday: "Luigi Mangione's murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a pre-meditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America. 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."

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, in a statement on Tuesday: "While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi. By doing this, they are defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry that continues to terrorize the American people."

What Happens Next

Mangione is expected to be back in federal court on April 18. His next appearance in his New York state case is scheduled for June 26.

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