A federal grand jury has indicted 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, intensifying the legal proceedings and opening the door to a possible death penalty case.

Although Mangione is already facing state charges for murder and weapons possession in New York—where capital punishment is banned—the federal indictment, unsealed Thursday, allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty under federal law. The charges include murder, stalking, and multiple firearms violations. A hearing is scheduled for Friday in Manhattan federal court.

Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to the state charges, is challenging the federal government’s intent to seek the death penalty. His attorneys argue that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s April 1 announcement supporting capital prosecution was politically driven and violated standard federal procedures.

Should Mangione be convicted in the federal trial, the case would move into a penalty phase, during which jurors must unanimously agree on imposing the death sentence.

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division, was shot and killed in broad daylight on December 4 outside a Manhattan hotel hosting a company investor event. His murder stunned the business world and sparked a high-profile, five-day nationwide manhunt before Mangione was apprehended.

While officials widely condemned the killing, some individuals voiced controversial support for Mangione, portraying the attack as an act of protest against rising healthcare costs and insurance industry practices. However, such narratives have not swayed prosecutors, and Mangione remains in federal custody at a detention facility in Brooklyn as the case proceeds.