Luigi Mangione’s lawyers seek to block death penalty in pivotal NYC federal court hearing

Luigi Mangione is set to appear in a New York City federal courtroom on Friday as his lawyers try to bar the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

The pivotal hearing will mark Mangione’s first federal court appearance since he pleaded not guilty to murder and stalking charges at his arraignment in April 2025.

Protesters against the death penalty are expected to rally outside the Manhattan courthouse for the 11 a.m. hearing, as Mangione’s court appearances often attract a crowd.

Mangione’s attorneys say case is tainted

Mangione’s defense attorneys say authorities prejudiced the case against him by turning his arrest for the 2024 shooting into a “Marvel movie spectacle.”

They have presented a few arguments as to why this should not be a federal death penalty case. 

Mangione’s lawyers argue that authorities prejudiced the case by turning his perp walk into a highly choreographed spectacle and declaring their desire to see him executed before formally indicting him. 

They also claim Attorney General Pam Bondi’s previous job with Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm whose clients include UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, is a conflict of interest. 

They allege Bondi violated an agreement when she took office to bow out of any matters related to Ballard Partners for at least one year. 

Prosecutors deny Bondi has conflict of interest

Federal prosecutors slammed the defense’s claims as meritless and misleading, arguing there is no conflict of interest with the attorney general because there is no present or future financial gain. 

They also argue that pretrial publicity, even when intense, is hardly a constitutional crisis. 

Mangione’s lawyers are also fighting to block federal prosecutors from introducing certain key evidence into the trial. 

Another judge is currently deciding whether to allow the evidence into Mangione’s New York murder trial after a crucial pretrial hearing in December.