U.S. Indicts Luigi Mangione in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment against Luigi Mangione, the man accused in the Dec. 4 killing of a health care executive in Manhattan, the government said on Thursday.

Mr. Mangione was originally charged after his arrest in a federal complaint, but the indictment and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s April 1 announcement that prosecutors will seek the death penalty suggest the Trump Justice Department is moving more aggressively toward a trial.

“The president’s directive was very clear: We are to seek the death penalty when possible,” Ms. Bondi said on Fox News Sunday on April 6.

The indictment, returned in U.S. District Court, means a federal grand jury has found probable cause to charge Mr. Mangione, a relatively low threshold of proof but one that is required under the Fifth Amendment for a felony prosecution to proceed. Along with the indictment comes the assignment of a judge, who will rule on motions and disputes and supervise any trial and death penalty proceeding.

The indictment levies no additional charges against Mr. Mangione, 26, who the authorities say carried out the brazen killing of the executive, Brian Thompson, 50, as Mr. Thompson walked to an early morning conference at a midtown Manhattan hotel. Mr. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., and was returned to New York to face charges. He is expected to be arraigned on the federal indictment soon.

For some, Mr. Mangione’s case has become a magnet for anger at the nation’s privatized health care system; his most recent appearance in the Manhattan criminal courthouse attracted hundreds of supporters, some lining the hallways and others protesting outside.