What happened
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she was instructing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December.
Who said what
Bondi's "widely anticipated" decision is part of her and President Donald Trump's "push to revive the widespread use of capital punishment" after lifting former President Joe Biden's federal moratorium, said The New York Times. First, "federal prosecutors would have to convince a group of jurors to vote unanimously for him to be put to death," a task that "may be difficult." After his arrest, Mangione "became the subject of praise and fascination for some people," especially critics of the health insurance industry, The Washington Post said.
What next?
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York State charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He has not entered a plea in the federal case, since "federal prosecutors have yet to seek a grand jury indictment," The Associated Press said. The cases were expected to "proceed on parallel tracks," with the state charges going to trial first, though it "wasn't immediately clear if Bondi's announcement will change the order."
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