Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday directed national 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 claims, with lawyers arguing the shooting was a deliberate attack against the health insurance sector.
The choice has sparked powerful controversy online.
Followers of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s news saw it as a necessary step in cracking down on aggressive crime. One person declared,” Law and order is back”, while another wrote, “BASED Pga- this is what I voted for”! Some viewed it as a sign of US President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime laws in motion.
Yet, some were wary of the schedule, considering the news came on April 1. “…April idiots”? one user asked, while another claimed,” The April 1 day gave it away, happy fools day all …”
The selection also reignited conversations about the justice of the justice system. Some critics argued that Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, is being treated differently because of his alleged defendant’s high-profile position.
One person wrote,” This kind of annoys me off. There are plenty of people unfairly murdered, and because they aren’t the CEO of a big corporation or a notable people, their circumstances get pushed off. Justice may be equally accessible to all, no matter their position”.
Others raised concerns about due process, with one comment stating,” Guilty until proven innocent. No one even knows the information they used to say it was him. At this point, it’s also 100 % speculative and driven by advertising. Did he say to it or things”?
Nevertheless, one person took a different perspective, referencing Mangione’s first title in a prank about Nintendo’s popular video game brothers and wrote,” Mario is going to be so unhappy”.
Some people also started trending and wrote# FreeLuigiMangione to show their support, with some claiming the event is being used to” meet the Oligarchs ‘ desire for body”.
