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During a livestream on his zackrawrr Twitch channel on April 1, 2025, Zack "Asmongold" reacted to the news that prosecutors were being directed to pursue the death penalty in the case of Luigi Mangione. Mangione is currently under investigation after being charged in the state of New York for the murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson.
On April 1, 2025, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she had issued a directive instructing the state's prosecutors to seek capital punishment in Mangione's case.
Asmongold, who has shown interest in livestreaming the trial while discussing political violence on Reddit, argued that Mangione would become a martyr if given the death penalty:
"Did you see the news on Luigi? Yeah, I mean, they are pushing the death penalty on Luigi. Um, in my opinion I don't really see the reason why. 'Make an example out of him'? I don't even think this makes an example out of him, I think it makes a martyr out of him. It does!"
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Asmongold says killing Luigi Mangione would make him a "martyr for the working class"
The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was one of the most high-profile homicide cases of 2024. Thompson was shot and killed in front of the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on December 4, 2024. A massive manhunt followed in the wake of the shooting, and Luigi Mangione was arrested on December 9, 2024, before being formally charged with the crime.
Here's US Attorney General Pamela Bondi's statement announcing that she had instructed prosecutors in the case to pursue the death penalty:
"Luigi Mangione's murder of Brian Thompson—an innocent man and father of two young children—was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America. 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."
Asmongold read the statement aloud on his Twitch broadcast, reiterating his concerns that pursuing the death penalty would only make Mangione a "martyr":
"Yeah, I think you just make him a martyr if you kill him like that, right? You do.
"I think if you give this guy the death penalty, you turn him into a martyr for the working class. But if you take this guy and put him in permanent solitary confinement. That's a lot worse than killing somebody, I think."
Asmongold highlighted comments about Mangione's lawyer having a good track record in previous cases. He then jokingly suggested that if Mangione were acquitted, he should consider running for public office:
"Luigi's lawyer has a zero loss track record and says this case will be closed in his favor. If Luigi gets away he should run for public office. Yeah, kill him or public office. But is it like really worth investing all of this time killing this guy? I don't think it is. If anything, this will make him a martyr. So that's my perspective."
Asmongold has lately been delving into a lot of political discussions on his streams. Recently, he caused a lot of controversy with his comments about immigrants and deportations.
