Snopes: Luigi Mangione may receive death penalty, while white supremacist who killed 23 at Texas Walmart won't [View all]

A pair of authentic news headlines accurately stated that the U.S. Department of Justice directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty for UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione, whereas prosecutors offered a gunman who killed 23 in a racist attack at a Texas Walmart a plea deal to avoid the same sentence.

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After news broke in early April 2025 that the U.S. Department of Justice would direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a claim spread online comparing Mangione's possible fate to the outcome of another case: that of Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people and injured 22 more in a shooting targeting Hispanic immigrants at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in 2019.

Social media users specifically spread an image showing two news headlines side by side. One, purportedly from MSNBC News, was, "DOJ directs prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione." The second headline was allegedly from CNN, and it read, "Gunman who killed 23 in racist attack at Texas Walmart offered plea deal to avoid death penalty."

Screenshots of the pair of headlines spread on platforms like Instagram, Reddit and Bluesky. Some social media users suggested the comparison was reason to call for criminal justice reform or abolishing the current system altogether.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mangione-death-penalty-white-supremacist/