In short:
UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was shot dead out the front of a hotel on Wednesday in what police are calling a “premeditated, targeted attack”.
The first unmasked photographs of a person of interest in the case have been released by the New York Police Department.
Multiple US media organisations, citing unnamed investigators, say the ammunition used to shoot Mr Thompson were inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose”.
We’ll see how the trial goals. A judge would probably consider the risk of encouraging vigilante justice, ie letting individuals bypass the justice system to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
I’d be very surprised if a court excuse a vigilante killer because he/her suffer distress or harm. That would be a dangerous precedent, many people would see that as a right to kill for all kind of reasons.
It seems more plausible that such factor lead to that vigilante getting a lighter sentence, rather than to receive complete pardon/mercy.