Attorney General Pam Bondi directs prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione
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(NEW YORK) — Attorney General Pam Bondi is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione if he is convicted of the December murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, she announced in a statement Tuesday.
One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder through use of a firearm, makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
“Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the CEO headed to an investors conference on Dec. 4. He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the murder.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges.
He hasn’t entered a plea to federal charges. He is due back in federal court on April 18.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(CHESTER, N.Y.) — A New York town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver who was lost and trying to get directions, police said.
The 24-year-old victim was attempting to deliver food to a house Friday night when he got lost in Chester, a town about 50 miles north of Manhattan, the New York State Police said.
He “approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at the residence of John Reilly III,” who is the Town of Chester highway superintendent, police said.
Reilly, 48, told the victim “to get off his property,” and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots at the driver while he was trying to leave in his car, police said.
The driver was shot once in the back and hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. He’s currently in stable condition, police said on Tuesday.
A DoorDash spokesperson said the company is “devastated by this senseless act of violence” and is wishing the driver “a full and speedy recovery.”
“No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood,” the spokesperson said in the statement, adding, “We’ll continue to work closely with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic incident.”
Reilly — who is a federally licensed firearms dealer — was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, police said. He was arraigned at the Orange County Centralized Arraignment Part and his preliminary hearing is set for Friday, police said.
Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said in a statement Sunday that the board is “deeply troubled by what has been reported so far,” adding, “We hope the person who was injured in the incident makes a full and healthy recovery.”
“The Town of Chester is not taking any position on any investigation or legal proceeding,” Holdrige said, and he noted that the Chester Police Department recused itself from the case.
(DALLAS) — A woman was hit and killed after attempting to save her dog along a highway in Texas on Wednesday, according to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 1 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to an incident involving a “pedestrian along southbound I-35 at Royal Lane,” the sheriff’s office said in a traffic alert.
Officials said a woman was walking her dog along the highway, when the canine ran “into the lanes of traffic,” police said.
The woman ran into the incoming cars to try and save her dog, but “both were hit and killed,” police said.The vehicle that was involved in the accident stopped and “is cooperating in this investigation,” police said.
The woman was later identified as 35-year-old Melanie Rachelle Dunahue, according to the medical examiner’s report.
According to ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA, the southbound lanes of the interstate were shut down after the crash, but re-opened by the morning rush hour.
(NEW YORK) — A 49-year-old man wielding a blood-covered meat cleaver was shot and critically injured by New York City police officers on Sunday after allegedly stabbing four young girls believed to be his relatives in their home, authorities said.
Two officers opened fire on the suspected attacker when they forced their way into the home and he allegedly ignored repeated orders to drop the bloody weapon and stepped toward the officers, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday outside the home where the attack occurred.
Tisch said officers found a “horrific scene” with the walls and floors spattered with blood when they arrived at the apartment in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The commissioner said officers went to the home when one of the victims, an 11-year-old girl, called 911 after running and hiding in a bedroom as the attack was going on.
“The 11-year-old caller stated that she and her siblings had been stabbed by their uncle,” Tisch said.
Tisch said the girl didn’t know her address and police used technology to trace the phone the child used to make the call to find the location of the assault in progress.
“Officers and EMS arrived at the door within minutes of receiving the 911 call. Their fast, decisive action pinpointing the location and taking down the door absolutely saved the lives of these young girls,” Tisch said.
The incident unfolded around 10:15 a.m., Tisch said. She said that once the attack began, a young boy who is related to the family ran to a neighbor’s apartment to get help and let police into the building when they arrived.
Tisch said officers were standing in a vestibule of the building when they heard screams coming from an apartment to their left. Officers then kicked open the door to the apartment, she said.
“Once they entered, they encountered a man standing near the entrance holding a large meat cleaver covered in blood and they could see blood on the floor and the walls of the home,” Tisch said.
She said the suspect was ordered several times to drop the weapon.
“He refused and advanced toward them,” Tisch said. “Two officers discharged their firearms, firing seven total rounds between them, striking the subject, ending the threat.”
The suspect was taken to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he was in critical condition, police said.
Tisch said the victims — four sisters ages 8, 11, 13 and 16 — all suffered serious slash and stab wounds. They were also taken to Maimonides, where they were being treated. All of the victims are expected to survive.
A motive for the attack remains under investigation.
NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said detectives are attempting to confirm the relationship between the victims and the suspect. He said the mother of the children was not at home at the time of the attack.
Chell said relatives of the suspect told police he has a history of mental illness and lives at the home where the attack occurred.
He added that the preliminary investigation shows that the NYPD had received no previous calls for service to the address.
Besides the meat cleaver, police recovered a second kitchen knife from the scene that Tisch said was also covered in blood.
Tisch said the police shooting was captured on police-worn body cameras.
