May 11, 2025
By Sena Fidan
Editor
Following a grand jury indictment on April 17, 27-year-old Luigi Mangione is facing charges of murder, stalking and a firearms offense. On April 1, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024.
In addition to facing federal charges, Mangione is facing charges in New York and Pennsylvania. Unlike his state charges, Mangione’s federal indictment allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
As the death penalty becomes a possible outcome in Mangione’s trial, controversy has arisen over whether the same sentence would have been pursued if the victim were not of high status, as Thompson was.
Law and civics teacher Mr. Newman said if the victim were not so well-known, Mangione would not be facing the possibility of receiving the death penalty.
“Power and money are always interesting influencers on the justice system, not only in the U.S., but around the world,” Newman said. “Usually, people criticize the double standard of the wealthy being able to provide ‘all-star team’ defense attorneys, but in this case… a CEO from a multinational, multibillion-dollar corporation [was] murdered.”
The death penalty has been heavily debated in the United States for decades.
In 1972, the Supreme Court’s decision in Furman v. Georgia halted the use of the death penalty. Then, in 1976, the Supreme Court invalidated all previous capital punishment laws in the United States, ruling the death penalty legal in Gregg v. Georgia.
Newman said courts only consider the death penalty in specific circumstances.
“Power and money are always interesting influencers on the justice system, not only in the U.S., but around the world.”
“The death penalty being invoked means that society has deemed that this person cannot function in society whatsoever, and there is no hope to rehabilitate this person,” Newman said. “To get data on how much the death penalty deters crime is impossible, so we will never know how effective it is for that.”
Like Newman, sophomore Ana Goncalves believes the federal government is considering the death penalty because of Thompson’s prominent position.
“Killing Mangione would prove to the nation that the elites are untouchable and that the powerful will prosper regardless of the negative impact on the public,” Goncalves said.
She said her understanding of this case comes primarily from social media posts.
“It was scary because I had no idea what this meant or why [Mangione] had killed [Thompson],” Goncalves said. “At the time, it all seemed bizarre. But, when I got on TikTok, I saw overwhelming support for [Mangione’s alleged] actions, all saying it was for the good of society.”
Goncalves said the public’s support for Mangione reflects the general consensus that the cost of health insurance is too high.
“Unreasonable health insurance policies have indirectly ruined the lives of many, sacrificing ethics for profit,” Goncalves said.
Medical Club advisor Mr. DeVito also said the cost of health insurance is prohibitive.
“It’s a big industry. Lots of people make lots of money off of it, [but] it is unaffordable to most people in this country,” DeVito said.
He said media coverage plays a significant role in shaping public and legal responses to high-profile cases like this one.
“There was a ton of news about the story… especially on [X] and on the internet,” DeVito said. “If you go to Brooklyn now, there are images of Luigi in street art on the side of buildings because people are paying homage to him.”
At his April 25 arraignment, where he was formally informed of the charges against him, Mangione pleaded not guilty.
