Luigi Mangione could face death penalty under new federal charges

As part of the new set of charges, Mangione has been charged with one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life in prison. The other three charges issued by federal prosecutors carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Mangione is also facing charges in New York and Pennsylvania. New York stopped issuing the death penalty in 2004, but federal authorities can still ask juries to hand down capital punishment in certain murder cases, the New York Post reported. A source told the outlet that federal prosecutors pursued their own case to ensure that Mangione will be eligible for the death penalty.

The criminal complaint stated that at around 6:45 am on West 45th Street, a person, later identified as Mangione, emerged from between two parked cars and shot Thompson in the leg and back. The words "deny," "delay," and "depose" were found on some of the casings left at the scene.

Mangione arrived in New York City on November 24 at around 10:11 pm on an intercity bus that arrived at the Port Authority terminal in Manhattan. The bus had originated in Atlanta, Georgia, the complaint stated. Mangione allegedly took a taxi into Midtown near the hotel where he remained for around an hour, and took another taxi to a hostel in the Upper West Side, where he registered under the name "Mark Rosario" and gave a fake New Jersey driver’s license. Mangione removed his face mask when the desk clerk requested, resulting in his face appearing on security footage. The complaint noted that other than this instance, Mangione kept his face mask on consistently.

On December 4 at around 5:35 am, Mangione allegedly left the hostel on an electric bike, riding down Central Park West to a location near to the hotel where the shooting occurred. Mangione walked around the area of the hotel at around 5:41 am, and at one point purchased items from a nearby coffee shop.

After waiting outside the hotel for around an hour, at around 6:45 am Mangione allegedly approached Thompson and shot him multiple times. He then fled on foot to the electric bicycle that was parked nearby and disappeared into Central Park for some time. He was later seen emerging from the park on the bike near West 77th Street without the gray backpack he had been seen with before.

Security cameras captured Mangione riding the bike through the city, and at 7:04 am, Mangione allegedly hopped into a taxi that took him to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal. He entered the bus terminal at around 7:30 am, and no footage was captured showing him leaving the building, "suggesting that the shooter left New York City," the complaint stated.

The complaint noted that a McDonald’s worker in Altoona, Pennsylvania at around 9:14 am on December 9 called police after seeing a person at the establishment that looked like the photos released by police. Members of the Altoona police approached Mangione, who allegedly produced the same fake ID he used to check into the hostel to officers. He was found in possession of a loaded 9mm pistol and silencer, clothing that matched those used by the shooter, a notebook, several thousands dollars in cash, and a letter addressed "To The Feds."

In the notebook, it contained "several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular." One August entry stated that "the details are finally coming together," and "I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated, bc [because] it allowed me to learn more about [acronym for Company-1]."