The brazen daylight shooting made headlines around the world. Mangione elicited significant sympathy and support from Americans exasperated with the country’s healthcare system, in which insurers routinely deny or frustrate claims, and about 25 million Americans don’t have health insurance.
The accused killer became something of a pin-up model for his classic good looks and has been inundated with letters and gifts in prison, including heart-shaped love letters. Supporters flocked to his most recent court appearance in February, carrying signs such as “free Luigi” and “healthcare reform now”.
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UnitedHealthcare is one of the country’s largest insurers, if not the largest. It made $US16 billion ($25.5 billion) in operating profits in 2023 and faced many complaints about denied or delayed payouts. Mangione was not a client, the company has said.
Bondi, a former attorney-general of Florida picked by Donald Trump to run the Department of Justice, pledged to revive federal executions after the Biden administration’s moratorium, which she called a “shameful era”.
“Going forward, the Department of Justice will once again act as the law demands – including by seeking death sentences in appropriate cases and swiftly implementing those sentences in accordance with the law,” she said on her first day on the job in a memo.
“The American people, through their elected representatives, have repeatedly reaffirmed the effectiveness of capital punishment in deterring crime, achieving justice for victims, and closure for their loved ones.”
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