Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on federal charges for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk last year.
The 26-year-old is now facing charges of murder, stalking, and using a firearm during a violent crime.
Death penalty?
Mangione is already facing state charges for the crime, which took place on Dec. 4.
Although federal prosecutors revealed the charges against Mangione late last year, he had not been formally indicted on those charges until now. If convicted, the federal murder charge involving the use of a firearm could lead to a death sentence, CNN reported.
The case drew national attention and sparked public outrage over issues in the U.S. healthcare system and with insurance companies, especially after the shooting and dayslong search for Mangione revealed disturbing messages allegedly written by him and found on bullets at the scene.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that the Department of Justice plans to seek the death penalty in this case.
Meanwhile, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo had said earlier this month, “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.”
Mangione faces 11 state charges
The 26-year-old is currently being held in a federal facility in Brooklyn, New York. However, officials have said his trial in New York state court will happen before the federal case moves forward.
A Manhattan grand jury had indicted Mangione on 11 state charges last year. These include first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and several charges related to weapons and forgery. If convicted on the state charges, he could face life in prison without the chance of parole.
Mangione already pleaded not guilty to separate murder and terrorism charges filed by the state of New York.
Prosecutors said Mangione carried out the killing as an act meant to spread fear or pressure the public or government, which legally qualifies as terrorism. One of the second-degree murder charges also linked the act to terrorism.
Mangione is also facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania. At the time of his arrest in a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, the police found an untraceable firearm, known as a “ghost gun,” and a notebook containing detailed writings.
