Luigi Mangione’s lawyers asked a New York judge on Friday to stop the U.S. Government from seeking the death sentence in a case accusing Mangione of shooting and killing Brian Thompson in New York in December of last year. Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division.
Mangione’s lawyers stated in a filing to the New York Federal Court that Pam Bondi’s announcement on April 1 that prosecutors will seek the death penalty was politically motivated. They also said that the announcement violated government protocol for death penalty decisions and that it “indelibly prejudged” the process.
His lawyers claimed that the United States government intended to kill Mangione in a political stunt.
The Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.