Prosecutors Say Bondi’s Remarks Should Not Bar Death-Penalty Case Against Luigi Mangione

Federal prosecutors told a Manhattan judge that public comments by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi should not derail the federal death-penalty prosecution of Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In a 121-page filing to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, the U.S. attorney’s office asked the court to deny the defense’s requests to dismiss charges, rule out capital punishment or suppress evidence gathered during Mangione’s arrest.

Prosecutors’ position

Prosecutors argued that extensive pretrial publicity, even if intense, does not automatically create a constitutional defect, citing Supreme Court and Second Circuit precedents. They said there is no evidence that Bondi’s public statements influenced the grand jurors who returned the federal indictment and maintained that careful juror vetting and courtroom safeguards are the appropriate remedies for any potential prejudice.

Regarding the contested evidence — a 9 mm handgun, a notebook in which investigators say Mangione wrote he intended to “wack” an insurance executive, and statements he made to police — prosecutors said officers were justified in searching the suspect’s backpack to ensure safety and that the defendant’s remarks were voluntary and made prior to formal custody.

Defense claims

Defense lawyers have argued Bondi’s public declarations, Instagram posts and TV appearances showed the decision to seek the death penalty was politically motivated and tainted the grand jury process. They also say a highly staged public display of Mangione being led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers, plus the Justice Department’s handling of death-penalty protocols, prejudiced their client and violated his constitutional and statutory rights.

Case background and timeline

Brian Thompson, 50, was shot to death on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s investor conference. Surveillance video shows a masked shooter firing at him from behind; investigators said ammunition recovered from the scene bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose.” Authorities arrested Mangione, described by prosecutors as an Ivy League–educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. In September a judge dismissed state terrorism counts but left an intentional murder charge intact; his next state hearing is Dec. 1 and his next federal court date is Jan. 9.

Outside commentary

Former President Donald Trump also publicly commented on the case in September, calling Mangione "a pure assassin," remarks that defense lawyers say further risk prejudicing jurors. Prosecutors counter that such commentary does not show the grand jury or potential jurors were actually influenced.

What prosecutors asked the court to do

The government urged Judge Garnett to reject the defense’s motions to dismiss or to bar the death penalty and to deny suppression of the contested evidence. Prosecutors said previous cases have rejected similar arguments and that targeted jury screening and trial protections can address concerns about publicity or prejudice without removing a statutorily authorized punishment from consideration.

“What the defendant recasts as a constitutional crisis is merely a repackaging of arguments” rejected in prior cases, prosecutors wrote.