Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, will now face federal charges that could carry the death penalty, the New York Times reported late Wednesday.
The charges against the suspect in the federal case were not immediately specified, but they will be in addition to the murder charge in New York state, the newspaper added, citing people at does business.
The federal charges would eventually allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, which has been banned in New York for decades.
The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In the case against the state, Mangione, 26, was charged with 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as a terrorism crime.
He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on all counts.
Mangione, who was Ivy League educated, was charged with murder on Dec. 9 for Thompson’s shooting outside a Manhattan hotel before a corporate conference, following a manhunt which lasted five days.
Mr. Thompson’s killing sparked an outpouring of anger from Americans who are struggling to receive and pay for medical care.
Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, according to friends and social media posts, but it is unclear whether his medical condition played a role in the shooting.
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