Mangione maintains his innocence in the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. But in a country where loathing for the for-profit healthcare industry is widespread, Thompson's murder and Mangione's coming trial have taken on broader cultural significance far beyond any normal slaying. The death penalty decision deepens that even further. Veteran defense attorneys told the Guardian that the death penalty decision also means it's all the more important for Mangione's legal team to present context as part of their legal strategy in his federal case; the defense might now even de-emphasize core questions of guilt or innocence and focus primarily on fighting the death penalty.
