Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Look to Block Feds from Seeking 'Political, Arbitrary' Death Sentence

Luigi Mangione's lawyers are calling on a judge to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty against him for allegedly murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In a motion filed Friday, April 11, in the federal District Court in Lower Manhattan, Mangione's legal team asked a judge to preclude federal prosecutors from seeking capital punishment, arguing that Attorney General Pam Bondi's move to seek the death penalty is "political, arbitrary, capricious, a breach of established death penalty protocol," and "has now indelibly prejudiced this process."

"The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt," Mangione's lawyers wrote in the filing, which was reviewed by PEOPLE.

In an April 1 press release, Bondi said Mangione had committed a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America," and announced she had directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the alleged killer "as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”

Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Dec. 4 before fleeing. Federal prosecutors have charged him with murder and stalking, while state prosecutors in New York have charged him with murder and terrorism.

He also faces weapons and forgery charges in Pennsylvania, where he was caught after a five-day manhunt. Authorities said he was discovered with a "manifesto" on his person highly critical of the American healthcare industry.

In the motion, Mangione's legal team contends that Bondi's public statements have prejudiced any potential jury who could decide their client's fate. They point to an Instagram post made by Bondi where she "plainly" stated Mangione is guilty of murder and a statement that he "should be executed."

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The attorneys claim that Bondi's use of a slogan popularized by her boss, President Donald Trump, in her statement shows that her motivation to seek the death penalty is political.

They also critique a statement Bondi made on television that "a reason she ordered the death sentence was because the alleged victim was a CEO."

"Counsel is aware of no provision in the death penalty statute or in the Department of Justice’s death penalty protocol that allows for consideration of the social, economic or professional status of an alleged homicide victim in determining whether to seek the death penalty," the motion reads.

Nicholas Biase, chief of public affairs at U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York, declined to comment.

The accused killer has become an unlikely icon among many people frustrated with the American healthcare system. Supporters have flooded Mangione's court hearings hoping to catch a glimpse of him, while a legal defense fund set up for him has raised more than $850,000.

Mangione is being held pretrial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and will next appear in federal court next Friday, April 18.