Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, faces both state and federal charges, with prosecutors arguing the killing was a premeditated attack against the health insurance industry.
The decision has sparked intense debate online.
Supporters of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement saw it as a necessary step in cracking down on violent crime. One user declared, “Law and order is back,” while another wrote, “BASED AF – this is what I voted for!” Others viewed it as a sign of US President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime policies in action.
However, some were skeptical of the timing, considering the announcement came on April 1. “…April fools?” one user asked, while another claimed, “The April 1 date gave it away, happy fools day everyone…”
The decision also reignited debates about the fairness of the justice system. Some critics argued that Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, is being treated differently because of his alleged victim’s high-profile status.
One user wrote, “This kind of pisses me off. There are plenty of people wrongfully murdered, and because they aren’t the CEO of a big company or a notable person, their cases get pushed aside. Justice should be equally available to all, no matter their status.”
Others raised concerns about due process, with one comment stating, “Guilty until proven innocent. No one even knows the evidence they used to say it was him. At this point, it’s still 100% speculative and driven by propaganda. Did he admit to it or something?”
Meanwhile, one user took a different angle, referencing Mangione’s first name in a joke about Nintendo’s famous video game brothers and wrote, “Mario is going to be so upset.”
Some users also started trending and wrote #FreeLuigiMangione to show their support, with some claiming the case is being used to “satisfy the Oligarchs’ demand for blood.”
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