Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty in execution-style slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the execution-style slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione is denying his involvement in the homicide of Thompson, who was gunned down on a Manhattan sidewalk in December. Many believe the killer was motivated by hatred for the insurance company, either spurred on by a denied claim or difficulty receiving approval for needed medical treatments.

Evidence at the scene included shell casings that had the words “depose,” “deny” and “delay” written on them, which was said to be a tactic used by insurance companies to deny claims. Authorities claim that at the time of his arrest, Mangione was carrying a “ghost” gun, an untraceable firearm.

While the defendant is maintaining his innocence in the killing, Attorney General Pam Bondi is saying her office will treat it as “an act of political violence.” She has also encouraged U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew Podolsky to pursue the death penalty in this case, which would mark a stark departure from the 17-year-long halt of federal executions.

A friend of Mangione detailed his previous “frustrations” with the healthcare and insurance industries. UnitedHealthcare is the largest insurance provider in the United States, which has led many to surmise he was attempting to send a message with the act.

Former Prosecutor Karen Friedman Agnifilo is litigating the case, and has asked the judge not to consider the death penalty.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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