Luigi Mangione becomes eligible for death penalty as he's charged with federal murder

Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, became eligible for a health penalty as he was charged with four federal counts according to the complaints unsealed Thursday after he was extradited to New York from Pennsylvania. New York abolished death penalty in 2004 and the last execution in the state took place in 1963 but the federal charge of 'murder by firearm' could bring the possibility of the death penalty, the Associated Press reported. In fact, Luigi Mangione could be the first to face the death penalty in New York in decades.

New federal charges against Luigi Mangione

As Mangione arrived in New York where he killed Brian Thompson, he was hit with new federal murder and stalking charges. Mangione was brought to New York as he waived extradition in Pennsylvania which means he did not fight his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York. In Pennsylvania, he was not charged with murder.
The federal complaint will see Mangione face charges including murder through the use of a firearm, two counts of stalking and one count of possession of a firearm, court documents reveal.

Does New York have the death penalty?

New York does not have the death penalty but since he has been slapped with a federal murder charge, he could face a death sentence. The federal charges against Mangione were surprising and caught his lawyers off guard. Mangione now is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court sometime after 2.30 today.

Had Luigi Mangione not been slapped with federal charges, the highest punishment that he could have faced for a first-degree and a second-degree murder charge was 25 years in jail.

Why Luigi Mangione waived extradition

Luigi Mangione's Pennsylvania lawyer Thomas Docky said they decided not to challenge the extradition because that would have only delayed the inevitable. His lawyers decided to focus on the main charges that he was facing in New York instead of getting caught up in the procedure in Pennsylvania, but the federal charges sprang a surprise though they knew that the federal prosecutors were considering additional charges.
"This decision allows us to focus on defending him against these serious allegations rather than getting bogged down in procedural battles," Dicky earlier said.
Mangione will be defended by Karen Friedman Agnifilo in New York.