Prosecutors in the federal case against accused murderer Luigi Mangione have called for him to receive the death penalty, in order to deter copycat killings.
The man alleged to have gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year is already believed to have inspired others, with prosecutors specifically citing last month’s fatal shooting at NFL headquarters in New York City.
“The defendant poses a continuing danger not only in a personal capacity, but also because he has sought to influence others,” government attorney Sean Buckley wrote in a filing with the United States Southern District of New York court.
“Since the murder, certain quarters of the public—who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant—have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement,” the filing continues.
Shane Tamura, citing grievances against the National Football League for his neurological issues, shot and killed four people on July 28. Like Mangione, he carried writings explaining his actions for authorities to find.
Prosecutors pointed to the words “deny, defend, depose” etched in bullet casings used in the execution-style assassination, arguing that Mangione’s alleged actions were “calculated to resonate beyond this specific victim and to generate scorn, outrage, or fear toward the health insurance sector more broadly.”
“Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” Buckley concluded.
Mangione is due to appear in court in December, although no date has yet been set for his federal trial.
The government recommended that Mangione’s lawyers’ request for an outline of the evidence they plan to use in seeking the death penalty be rejected.
“By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric,” Mangione’s lawyers said in April. “Their decision to execute Luigi is political and goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent.”
