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Man pleads not guilty to federal death penalty charge in UnitedHealthcare case

Luigi Mangione is accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.

By contributor Michael R Sisak, AP
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Luigi Mangione in court
Luigi Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in New York City (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP)

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson as prosecutors in the US formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him.

Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers as he entered the plea, leaning forward towards a microphone as US District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if understood the indictment, which charges him with stalking and shooting Mr Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last December.

Mangione said, “yes”. Asked how he wished to plead, Mangione said simply “not guilty” and sat down.

Mangione’s arraignment for the killing last December attracted several dozen people to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, including former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

Mangione, who has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, arrived at court in a mustard-coloured jail suit. He chatted with one of his lawyers, death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz, as they waited for the arraignment to begin.

Late Thursday night, federal prosecutors filed a required notice of their intent to seek the death penalty.

That came weeks after US attorney general Pam Bondi announced that she would be directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for what she called “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America”.

A sign for UnitedHealthcare's headquarters
UnitedHealthcare is the largest US health insurer (AP)

It was the first time the Justice Department said it was pursuing capital punishment since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20 with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration.

Mangione’s lawyers have argued that Ms Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived him of his constitutional right to due process. They had sought to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

Mangione’s federal indictment includes a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The indictment, which mirrors a criminal complaint brought after Mangione’s arrest, also charges him with stalking and a gun offence.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, faces separate federal and state murder charges after authorities say he gunned down Mr Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.

The state murder charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Mr Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

The killing and ensuing five-day search leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers deleting photos of executives from their websites and switching to online shareholder meetings.

At the same time, some health insurance critics have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state case expected to go to trial first, but Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said his defence team would seek to have the federal case take precedent because it involves the death penalty.

Mangione was arrested on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of New York City and whisked to Manhattan by plane and helicopter.

Police said Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used in the shooting and other items including a notebook in which they say he expressed hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.

UnitedHealthcare, the largest US health insurer, has said Mangione was never a client.

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