Luigi Mangione's Attorneys Want Death Penalty Dismissed In CEO Murder Case

NEW YORK CITY — Attorneys for Luigi Mangione asked a judge on Saturday to prohibit federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty should he be convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a report.

In April, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of killing Thompson outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4.

"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.

Bondi’s statements and other official actions — including a highly choreographed perp walk that saw Mangione led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers, and the Trump administration’s flouting of established death penalty procedures — "have violated Mr. Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case," his lawyers argued in a new court filing obtained by The Associated Press.

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Defense attorneys argued that authorities prejudiced Mangione's case by turning his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed.

Mangione’s lawyers also claimed that Bondi’s announcement — which she followed with Instagram posts and a TV appearance — showed the decision was “based on politics, not merit” and, they said, her remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in his indictment a few weeks later.

The move from Mangione's attorneys comes just days after a judge threw out two terrorism-related charges in the New York state case against him.

Judge Gregory Carro on Tuesday dismissed charges of murder in the first degree as an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism. Mangione is still charged with second-degree murder, but no longer faces the possibility of life without parole.

Mangione, a Maryland native, is accused of murdering Thompson in Manhattan this past December before leading police on a five-day manhunt, Patch previously reported.

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Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan. Authorities say he had a 9mm handgun and a notebook describing his intent to “wack” an insurance executive.

In addition to the New York state case against him, Mangione was indicted on four federal charges in connection with Thompson's death. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mangione also has a case in Pennsylvania for possessing an illegal gun and giving a fake ID to police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.