Luigi Mangione
Blow By Blow For Potential Lethal Injection …
As Feds Seek Death Penalty
Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate accused of stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. If convicted in federal court, Mangione could face a grim execution process, legal experts say.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, appointed under President Trump, has made her stance clear: she believes Mangione should be executed for the alleged crime. And if she gets her way, the method would be lethal injection — a process that, while common, is far from painless.
TMZ spoke with Corinna Lain, a University of Richmond law professor and expert in capital punishment, who offered detailed insight into what Mangione could potentially experience if sentenced to death.
Lain, author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, explained that after a federal conviction, prosecutors must present aggravating factors to the court. A jury must unanimously agree on those factors before a judge can impose the death sentence.
If it comes to that, Mangione would be strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber. A catheter would be inserted into his vein, typically by an executioner with no medical training. While many inmates endure multiple needle attempts due to vein damage from drug use, Lain noted that Mangione, being young and healthy, would likely avoid that complication.
The execution process involves two adjoining rooms: one for the inmate and another for the lethal drug administration. A tube connects the two. Guards — not medical professionals — push syringes filled with Pentobarbital, a sedative used in euthanasia, through the tube and into the inmate’s bloodstream.
The drug is intended to stop the heart and lungs. While unconsciousness typically sets in within minutes, it can take up to 18 minutes for death to occur. However, Lain warns that during this time, even though the prisoner may appear unconscious, they may still experience extreme pain without being able to respond.
“There’s overwhelming scientific evidence that lethal injection can cause severe pain and suffering,” Lain said. “It’s essentially a form of torture.”
One of the most dangerous side effects is acute pulmonary edema — fluid rapidly flooding the lungs — which can cause a sensation akin to drowning.
Additionally, the execution is often carried out by correctional staff rather than medical professionals. Lain says these guards can sometimes inject the drug too forcefully, causing the vein to burst. When that happens, the chemicals spill into surrounding tissues, leading to further complications and excruciating pain.
In past executions, Lain noted, some prisoners have regained consciousness during the procedure. Others suffered severe chemical burns, with skin peeling off their arms.
Mangione has not yet been convicted, and the legal process is still ongoing. But if prosecutors secure a conviction and the death penalty is approved, the final chapter of his case could be one of the most controversial and painful forms of punishment in the American justice system.
