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Tag: Luigi Mangione
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Luigi Mangione has outburst in court as judge sets June state trial date
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The judge in Luigi Mangione’s state trial set a June 8 trial date for New York’s case against him for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, leading Mangione to have an outburst Friday as court concluded.
The judge started the proceedings by saying it appears the federal government had reneged on their agreement to let the state trial go first by setting a date of Sept. 8 to begin jury selection in the federal trial, with opening statements on Oct. 13.
However, that trial date may be delayed if the federal government appeals the decision to throw out the charges against Mangione that were eligible for the death penalty. The judge said in the event the federal trial is indeed delayed, then the state trial would proceed on Sept. 8 instead.
The judge told Mangione’s defense attorneys to be ready to proceed on June 8.
Earlier this year, state prosecutors requested a July 1 trial date for Mangione on the state charges. Mangione’s attorneys said this request is unreasonable as they need the rest of the year to prepare for the federal trial.
There were approximately two dozen Mangione supporters in the courtroom Friday. One wore a shirt with the message “Luigi Mangione: Not in the Epstein files” on it.
“Double jeopardy,” Mangione says in court
Mangione’s defense said their client is being put in an untenable situation as the tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutions plays out.
As court concluded, Mangione, who was wearing tan prison clothing and was handcuffed, had an outburst, shouting, “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any common sense definition.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not comment after court.
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo spoke briefly.
“Double jeopardy is meant to protect people, and they’re using it as a weapon here, so it’s unfair,” she said.
Legal expert Rich Schoenstein, who is not affiliated with Mangione’s case, weighed in.
“If he goes to trial in one of these courts and then a jury is sworn in in another court, that is a potential double jeopardy situation, but he’s not subject to double jeopardy yet,” Schoenstein said. “It’s not double jeopardy just because he’s being prosecuted in two different courts. That happens all the time.”
He also said the battle over which case will go first is unusual since normally, he says, prosecutors work together.
“Now what you have is a mess with two courts racing to try to get to the prosecution of this defendant,” he said.
Judge rules federal prosecutors can’t seek death penalty
Mangione, 27, is facing both federal and state charges in the 2024 killing of Thompson. He is accused of gunning the CEO down outside a Midtown hotel, setting off a manhunt spanning several states.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Federal Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal firearms charges against Mangione that carried the possibility of the death penalty just before the last court date.
But, she left stalking charges in place against him that can bring a maximum punishment of life in prison without the opportunity for parole.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Agnifilo, thanked the court for “this incredible decision.”
“We’re all very relieved,” Agnifilo said. “We’re prepared, and have been prepared, to fight this case, and we look forward to fighting this case.”
Attempt to bar backpack evidence
Garnett also ruled that evidence taken from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest will be admissible in his federal trial.
The defense asked the judge to suppress the 3D-printed handgun, loaded magazine, notebook, nap and “survival kit” that were in the bag. They said the evidence was recovered during a warrantless search.
Police said it’s standard procedure to take property like a backpack during an arrest. It also would be standard procedure to search the backpack, officers testified.
A decision about the use of the backpack evidence in Mangione’s state trial is expected to be announced in May.
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Luigi Mangione Speaks Out In Protest As Judge Sets State Murder Trial For June 8th – KXL
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NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione spoke out in court Friday against the prospect of back-to-back trials over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, telling a judge: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
Mangione, 27, made the remarks as court officers escorted him out of the courtroom after a judge scheduled his state murder trial to begin June 8, three months before jury selection in his federal case.
Judge Gregory Carro, matter-of-fact in his decision after a lengthy discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers at the bench, said the state trial could be delayed until Sept 8 if an appeal delays the federal trial.
Mangione’s lawyers objected to the June trial date, telling Carro that at that time, they’ll be consumed with preparing for the federal trial, which involves allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson before killing him.
“Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation,” defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. “This is a tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.”
“The defense will not be ready on June 8,” she added.
“Be ready,” Carro replied.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, both of which carry the possibility of life in prison. Last week, the judge in the federal case ruled that prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty.
Jury selection in the federal case is set for Sept. 8, followed by opening statements and testimony on Oct. 13.
Wearing a tan jail suit, Mangione sat quietly at the defense table until his outburst at the end of the hearing.
As the trial calendar began to take shape, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann sent a letter to Carro asking him to begin the New York trial on July 1.
The prosecutor argued that the state’s interests “would be unfairly prejudiced by an unnecessary delay” until after the federal trial. Under the law, he said, the state has “priority of jurisdiction for purposes of trial, sentencing and incarceration” because Mangione was arrested by New York City police, not federal authorities.
When Mangione was arrested, federal prosecutors said anticipated that the state trial would go first. Seidemann told Carro on Friday that Thompson’s family has also expressed a desire to see the state trial happen first.
“It appears the federal government has reneged on its agreement to let the state, which has done most of the work in this case, go first,” Carro said Friday.
Scheduling the state trial first could help Manhattan prosecutors avoid double jeopardy issues. Under New York law, the district attorney’s office could be barred from trying Mangione if his federal trial happens first.
The state’s double jeopardy protections kick in if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution, such as a federal case, or if that prosecution ends in a guilty plea. The cases involve different charges but the same alleged course of conduct.
Mangione isn’t due in court again in the state case until May, when Carro is expected to rule on a defense request to exclude certain evidence that prosecutors say connects Mangione to the killing.
Those items include a 9 mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which they say he described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive.
Last week, Garnett ruled that prosecutors can use those items at that trial.
In September, Carro threw out state terrorism charges but kept the rest of the case, including an intentional murder charge.
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.
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Grant McHill
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Prosecutors in Luigi Mangione case can’t seek death penalty, judge rules
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Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty if convicted on federal charges, a judge ruled Friday.
Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal firearms charges against Mangione that carried the possibility of the death penalty, but left in place a stalking charge against him that can bring a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges in the killing of Thompson.
Jury selection in the federal case is now set to begin on September 8, although state prosecutors are seeking to try him sooner, as early as July 1.
Mangione back in court Friday
The ruling came as Mangione was due back in court Friday for a hearing regarding his federal case.
The judge is also considering whether evidence seized during Mangione’s arrest will be admissible.
Mangione initially faced a four count federal indictment for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but his defense team had been fighting to dismiss two counts, which the judge has now agreed to.
The judge is also expected to rule if prosecutors can show jurors certain pieces of evidence, including a 9mm handgun and a notebook found in Mangione’s bag in which they say he described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive.
Manhattan DA wants state trial to begin in the summer
The Manhattan District Attorney wants the judge in Luigi Mangione’s state trial to set a date for July 1 to ensure it starts before his federal trial.
Mangione’s attorneys say they need the rest of the year to prepare for the federal trial. They called the request unreasonable.
Defense attorneys trying to get backpack evidence supressed
His last federal court appearance centered around the search of his backpack during his 2024 arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
A 3D-printed handgun, loaded magazine, notebook, map and a “survival kit” were found in the backpack. The defense asked the judge to suppress the evidence, arguing it was a warrantless search.
Police testified that it’s standard procedure to take property like a backpack from a suspect during an arrest. The search of the backpack would have also been standard procedure, officers said.
A judge didn’t issue a decision on the motion.
Man attempts to free Mangione
On Wednesday, a Minnesota man was arrested for allegedly impersonating an FBI agent and trying to free Mangione.
Prosecutors allege Mark Anderson arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Mangione is being held, clamed he was an FBI agent with papers from a judge authorizing Mangione’s release, a federal law enforcement source said.
FBI
A search of Anderson turned up a barbecue fork and pizza cutter.
He’s now being held in the same complex as Mangione.
Read the judge’s ruling
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Alexa Herrera
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Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty, judge rules
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Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty, judge rules
I’M JASON NEWTON AND I’M ASHLEY HINSON. LUIGI MANGIONE. DEFENSE ATTORNEYS WANT TO BLOCK CERTAIN EVIDENCE FROM HIS UPCOMING TRIAL. MAGGIONI IS ACCUSED OF KILLING UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON IN MANHATTAN. THAT WAS A YEAR AGO TODAY, THOUGH, POLICE OFFICERS FROM ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, CONTINUE THEIR TESTIMONY ABOUT THE DAY OF MANGIONE’S ARREST. KHIREE JOINING US NOW IN KAI BODY CAMERA VIDEO PLAYED IN COURT TODAY, RIGHT? IT DID. AND ASHLEY JASON, THE BODY CAMERA VIDEO SHOWS THE MOMENTS AFTER POLICE RESPONDED TO THE ALTOONA MCDONALD’S WHERE THEY FOUND MANGIONE. THIS HAPPENED FIVE DAYS AFTER BRIAN THOMPSON’S MURDER. IN THE VIDEO, YOU CAN HEAR ONE OF THE OFFICERS SAY, QUOTE, IT’S HIM, DUDE, IT’S HIM. THAT’S IN REFERENCE TO PHOTOS CIRCULATING ONLINE SHOWING THE MAN POLICE SAY KILLED THOMPSON. ACCORDING TO OFFICER CHRISTINA WASSER, THEY BEGAN SEARCHING MANGIONE’S BAG AFTER PUTTING HIM IN HANDCUFFS. INSIDE THE BAG, THEY FOUND A LOADED GUN MAGAZINE. THE MAGAZINE WAS WRAPPED UP IN A PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. MANGIONE’S DEFENSE WANTS THE CONTENTS OF THAT BAG EXCLUDED FROM HIS TRIAL. THEY CLAIM OFFICERS DIDN’T HAVE A PROPER WARRANT TO SEARCH IT. TODAY, OFFICER WASSER SAID THAT SHE WAS FOLLOWING POLICE PROTOCOLS. THOSE PROTOCOLS, SHE TOLD THE COURT, REQUIRE OFFICERS SEARCH A SUSPECT’S PROPERTY AT THE TIME OF AN ARREST. OFFICER WASSER ALSO TESTIFIED MANGIONE WAS TOLD OF HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, WHICH HE INVOKED WHILE OFFICERS FOUND THE MAGAZINE AT THE SCENE. THEY DID NOT UNCOVER THE NOTEBOOK UNTIL THEY RETURNED TO THE POLICE STATION. MANGIONE HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO STATE AND FEDERAL MURDER CHARGES. HIS TEAM TODAY ALSO CALLED ON A JUDGE TO BAN THE WORDS,
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.This is a developing story and will be updated.
NEW YORK —Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.
The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Nicolás Maduro held in same jail as Sean
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Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is being housed at Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, after he was captured by U.S. forces and flown to New York to face federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. Matt Gutman has more.
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Luigi Mangione’s Lawyers Acquire a Cult Following of Their Own
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A 32-year-old marketing professional now based in Los Angeles, Kimmy initially became drawn to the case after learning that Mangione is also from Maryland. “Otherwise it’s just another shooting in America,” she says. Her interest deepened, though, as the political stakes developed and potentially complicated the legal proceedings. (Erika Kirk recently wondered in a CBS appearance “how social media will impact that court case, just how it might impact mine,” referring to the similar surfeit of attention that has accompanied the assassination of her late husband, Charlie Kirk.)
Soon she was captivated by the Agnifilos themselves, and the legal strategy they were building. “The case itself is already so interesting,” Kimmy says, “but the fight to control the narrative bleeding in and out of court adds another incredibly interesting layer.” (Mangione has pleaded not guilty in this case as well as a parallel federal case.)
The Agniflos met in 1992, when they were both working in the Manhattan district’s attorney office and Karen assisted Marc on a case involving one deliveryman cutting off another’s hand with a machete amid a feud over a parking spot. Their work, together and apart, eventually took them to some of the most knotty and high-profile spots in defense law.
Former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn sits with Marc Agnifilo.Richard Drew/AFP/Getty Images.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo addresses the Mangione press corps.Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images.
When Marc’s firm represented Dominique Strauss-Kahn in his 2011 sexual assault case, Karen, still working as a prosecutor, had to recuse herself. (Prosecutors ultimately dropped criminal charges of attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn, and a civil case was settled.) 50 Cent’s recent Netflix documentary about Sean “Diddy” Combs includes footage of the mogul screaming at Marc on the phone over the state of his case, leading TMZ to describe the attorney as the “true victim in all of this.” Agnifilo was Combs’s lead attorney in his federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial, which was largely regarded as a victory for Combs after he was convicted only on lesser prostitution counts.
In Mangione, the couple has found a celebrity defendant drawing a particularly personal degree of investment from his fans, with his facial expressions and movements in court dissected for meaning in online communities. A, a London-based paralegal who asked to be identified by her first initial, co-runs an advocacy platform for Mangione called Free Luigi NYC and devotes time to breaking down the legal maneuvering in the case. She attended a day of the court proceedings this month and attested that the Agnifilos had become stars.
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Dan Adler
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Defense Warns Media Releases Could Taint Jury
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Defense attorneys for Brian Walshe rested their case without presenting a single witness to rebut the prosecution’s assertion that he was jealous of his wife’s Ana’s new lover, and worried about going to jail in federal art fraud case, when he killed her to collect millions in life insurance
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Lauren Conlin
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Luigi Mangione’s lawyers seek dismissal of federal charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination
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Luigi Mangione’s lawyers asked a New York judge to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In papers filed Saturday in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack, in which a gun and ammunition were found.
They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024.
They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.
Mangione’s lawyers want death penalty off the table
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting.
The killing set off a multi-state search after the suspected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.
Five days later, a tip from a McDonald’s about 233 miles away in Altoona, Pennsylvania, led police to arrest Mangione. He has been held without bail since.
In September, lawyers for Mangione asked that his federal charges be dismissed and the death penalty be taken off the table as a result of public comments by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi directed prosecutors in New York to seek the death penalty, calling the killing of Thompson a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Seth Wenig / AP
Last month, a Manhattan Criminal Court judge dismissed Mangione’s state terrorism charges after his lawyers argued the parallel cases amounted to double jeopardy.
Murder cases are usually tried in state courts, but prosecutors have also charged Mangione under a federal law on murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence.” It’s the only charge for which Mangione could face the death penalty, since it’s not used in New York state.
The papers filed early Saturday morning argued that this charge should be dismissed because prosecutors have failed to identify the other offenses that would be required to convict him, saying that the alleged other crime — stalking — is not a crime of violence.
The assassination and its aftermath has captured the American imagination, setting off a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security.
After the killing, investigators found the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” written in permanent marker on ammunition at the scene. The words mimic a phrase used by insurance industry critics.
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Experts Say Diddy’s Fame Makes Him a Target in Federal Prison
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Former MDC Brooklyn Associate Warden Dr. DeWayne Hendrix issues a warning for Diddy as his prison placement looms, plus Craig Rothfeld weighs in
Diddy Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTVFollowing his 50-month sentence for two Mann Act violations on October 3, 2025, Sean “Diddy” Combs will be heading to a federal prison- but where? Combs will be evaluated under the Bureau of Prisons’ custody classification system to determine where he’ll be placed behind bars.
Dr. DeWayne Hendrix, former Warden at the Metropolitan Detention Center (where Combs is currently housed), former Senior Warden with the Bureau of Prisons, and founder of A New Light, tells Los Angeles, “Mr. Combs will be ‘scored’ under the BOP’s classification system and designated to the lowest-security facility that meets his needs, typically within 500 miles of his release residence. With a 50-month sentence and no prior felony convictions, he most likely qualifies for a low security federal prison.”
Other experts like Craig Rothfeld, firmly state that no one truly knows where Combs will end up. Rothfeld, of Inside Outside Ltd, Criminologist and Prison Consultant (his clients are the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Luigi Mangione), tells Los Angeles exclusively, “At this time, there is no one who knows where Sean Combs is going to spend the remainder of his sentence in prison. Anyone to suggest otherwise is either speculating or worse making it up. It is a fools errand right now for anyone, anywhere, to say they have knowledge of where he is going to wind up. There are many standard and variable factors that will be evaluated by the BOP’s Designation Sentencing & Computation Center (DSCC) in making the final determination on his classification and eventual prison designation.”
Although Combs was sentenced only on the Mann Act, Judge Arun Subramanian made it clear that his acquitted behavior-brutalizing both Cassandra Ventura and “Jane”-would be considered when determining the length of his lock-up. Dr. Hendrix adds, “Because his conviction is of a sex offense, he may serve his time in a prison that has sex offender programs. Sex offenders and people who commit violent crimes against women face higher levels of harassment and assault on the inside. Then, adding his celebrity and wealth, the risk of targeting and extortion goes up.”
On the October 4th episode of the “Two Angry Men” podcast, criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos echoed Hendrix, claiming that Combs’ fame makes him a prime target, increasing the typical dangers, like physical and sexual assault, faced by inmates with similar convictions.
During Friday’s sentencing, Combs’ attorney Brian Steel revealed that Diddy was targeted to be shanked by a prisoner while at MDC Brooklyn, before a guard stepped in.“It’s a trophy for them, they get recognition if they harm him,” Steel announced in court.
MDC is notoriously one of the most inhumane jails in the country, with some federal judges even calling it a “third world” jail with no sunlight or fresh air. The defense has cited the disturbing conditions multiple times throughout the trial and in the sentencing memo. Other judges in the Southern District of New York have even factored MDC conditions into sentencing decisions. Notably, in a 2019 memo, SDNY Judge Jed Rakoff stated that it had become ‘routine’ for federal judges to consider the harsh conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center when sentencing defendants (United States vs. Paul Manafort).
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Dr. Hendrix believes that if Combs is not in protective custody, he will need to make protection arrangements by any means possible. “The BOP can mitigate his risks with separation options and monitoring, but if he remains in general population he will need strong protective arrangements-either formal or informal-to avoid becoming a constant target.” Hendrix also added a strange but common occurrence about how sex offenders are treated in custody- no entry into the TV room. “Sex offenders do try to keep a low profile, but a visible form of abuse is that other inmates won’t allow them in TV rooms.”
One of Combs’ attorneys Marc Agnifilo claimed that Judge Subramanian “acted like a 13th juror” and said they have plans to appeal the sentence.
Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Judge Arun Subramanian acted as a “13th juror” when he determined that Diddy should be punished for using fraud, force, or coercion against the victims of the prostitution charges, which completely glosses over the actual legal argument. pic.twitter.com/OsYviVbvLS
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 4, 2025
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Lauren Conlin
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Luigi Mangione’s lawyers want death penalty off the table in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case
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Luigi Mangione’s lawyers urged a judge on Saturday to bar federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing that authorities prejudiced his case by turning his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed.
Fresh from a legal victory that eliminated terrorism charges in Mangione’s state murder case, his lawyers are now fighting to have his federal case dismissed, seizing on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s declaration prior to his April indictment that capital punishment is warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Bondi’s statements and other official actions — including a highly choreographed perp walk that saw Mangione led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers, and the Trump administration’s flouting of established death penalty procedures — “have violated Mr. Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case,” his lawyers argued in a court filing.
Mangione’s defense team, led by former Manhattan prosecutor Karen Friedman Agnifilo, implored U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, an appointee of President Joe Biden, “to correct the errors made by the government and prevent this case from proceeding as a death penalty prosecution.”
Bondi announced in April that she was directing Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione. It was the first time the Justice Department said it was bringing a capital case after President Donald Trump returned to office Jan. 20 with a pledge to revive federal executions, which his predecessor Biden had put on hold.
Mangione’s lawyers argue that Bondi’s announcement — which she followed with Instagram posts and a TV appearance — showed the decision was “based on politics, not merit” and, they said, her remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in his indictment a few weeks later.
Trump, who oversaw an unprecedented run of 13 executions at the end of his first term, offered his own opinions about Mangione on Thursday — despite court rules that prohibit any pretrial publicity that could interfere with a defendant’s right to a fair trial.
“Think about Mangione. He shot someone in the back, as clear as you’re looking at me or I’m looking at you. He shot — he looked like a pure assassin,” Trump told Fox News.
“There is a high bar to dismissing an indictment due to pretrial publicity,” Mangione’s lawyers wrote in their 114-page filing. “However, there has never been a situation remotely like this one where prejudice has been so great against a death-eligible defendant.”
Federal prosecutors have until Oct. 31 to respond. Mangione is due back in court in the federal case Dec. 5, days after the start of pretrial hearings in his state case. No trial date has been set for either case.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived to a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. Authorities say he had a 9 mm handgun and a notebook describing his intent to “wack” an insurance executive.
Mangione’s lawyers contend the simultaneous prosecutions amount to double jeopardy.
In the federal case, Mangione is charged with murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, as well as stalking and gun offenses.
On Tuesday, the judge in his state case threw out terrorism charges that carried the possibility of a mandatory life sentence without parole. But Judge Gregory Carro rejected the defense’s request to dismiss the state prosecution entirely, saying the double jeopardy argument is premature because neither case has gone to trial or resulted in a guilty plea.
The state case will proceed with other charges, including an intentional murder count that carries a potential punishment of 15 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. Unlike the federal system, New York does not have the death penalty.
Mangione has attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations with the health insurance industry.
A few dozen supporters — mostly women — packed three rows in the rear of the courtroom gallery at his hearing Tuesday in state court. Some wore green, the color of the Mario Bros. video game character Luigi, and one woman sported a “FREE LUIGI” T-shirt.
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CBS Minnesota
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Luigi Mangione’s state terrorism charges dismissed in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder, judge rules
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The state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, were dismissed Tuesday, as he appeared in court in New York City for a pre-trial hearing.
Mangione walked into Manhattan Criminal Court, shackled and wearing tan prison clothing, shortly before 9:30 a.m. for the hearing on several pre-trial motions. Members of the press and the public packed the courtroom, while crowds of his supporters carried signs and chanted outside.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
When he entered, he appeared to look at the rows of public in the back very briefly, then stared straight forward. As he left, he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement — once at the defense’s first row in the gallery, and then again as he walked past the press and public.
His supporters were later seen following his attorneys down the street as they left court.
Luigi Mangione’s terrorism charges thrown out
Curtis Means-Pool / Getty Images
The 27-year-old faces both state and federal charges in the killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two, last December outside a Manhattan hotel. The 11 state charges included murder and terrorism, and the federal ones carry the possibility of the death penalty.
His lawyers have been fighting to get the state charges thrown out entirely, arguing the parallel cases amount to double jeopardy. In his written decision Tuesday, Judge Gregory Carro ruled against their request.
The defense had also asked for the two terrorism charges to be dropped, arguing they don’t apply. Prosecutors, however, alleged Mangione’s intent was to “violently broadcast a social and political message to the public at large.”
The judge ruled to dismiss both terrorism charges — murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism — writing they were “legally insufficient.”
“There was no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups,” Carro wrote. “Here, the crime — the heinous, but targeted and discrete killing of one person — is very different from the examples of terrorism set forth in the statute.”
Mangione still faces 9 other state counts
Curtis Means-Pool / Getty Images
Mangione will still face second-degree murder and eight weapons-related charges in the state case. If convicted of the top count, it carries a sentence of 25 years to life. He has pleaded not guilty.
“We respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree,” the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said in a statement after the ruling.
The defense also wants to suppress evidence from Mangione’s backpack, including a gun and notebook, claiming it was obtained without a search warrant. Prosecutors deny the allegations and have asked the judge to force Mangione’s lawyers to say whether they will pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence.
The defense also wants statements Mangione made to law enforcement suppressed because his attorneys allege officers failed to provide Miranda warnings, and don’t want non-eyewitness identification testimony at trial, meaning someone who was not a witness to an alleged crime who makes an identification from a picture or video.
The judge did not rule on any of those issues Tuesday, but said hearings on each will begin on Dec. 1.
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Luigi Mangione Silent in Court as Terrorism Charges Dropped
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Marc Agnifilo, the lawyer who spearheaded Sean “Diddy” Combs’s largely successful defense this spring, stood a bit off to the side from his colleagues, including his wife, Karen, as he awaited another client’s entrance into a Manhattan courtroom. A mix of tabloid reporters and online personalities sat in the gallery, turning their heads over their shoulders toward the door.
Across the street, a throng of protesters had gathered to chant “due process is a legal right,” “free Luigi,” and “health care is a human right.”
“No cell phones, no outbursts,” a redheaded court officer, a stern but polite fixture from Donald Trump’s criminal trial in the same courthouse last spring, warned. “Court decorum as always.”
And then, just before 9:30 a.m., Luigi Mangione walked through the center of the room in a tan prison jumpsuit, betraying little emotion as keyboards clattered and the shackles around his ankles clanked.
Since Mangione, the 27-year old Ivy League graduate accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan street, was arrested in December, he has become a symbol of anger over the American health care system. The r/FreeLuigi Reddit forum boasts roughly 40,000 members who dissect court filings and coordinate their support for Mangione. In the lead-up to Tuesday’s hearing in his Manhattan criminal case, one thread circulated a flyer from People Over Profit NYC, an advocacy group that describes itself as “rallying for health care reform and justice for Luigi Mangione,” pitting Mangione against New York mayor Eric Adams, New York Police Department commissioner Jessica Tisch, and the Trump administration’s attorney general, Pam Bondi. (Mangione has also been charged in a parallel federal case in which Bondi is seeking the death penalty; he has pleaded not guilty in both cases.) Near the courthouse, I passed a small truck with an LED sign on its side linking to People Over Profit NYC’s website and a QR code with an instruction to “scan to support Luigi’s defense.”
The temperature continued to rise last week with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A recent Fox News segment focused on the notion that there are “many similarities between Kirk assassin and Luigi Mangione.” (The suspect in Kirk’s murder, Tyler Robinson, is expected to be charged on Tuesday.) “Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” federal prosecutors previously argued in an August court filing. “Since the murder, certain quarters of the public—who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant—have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement.”
Tuesday’s hearing lasted just over 10 minutes, and Mangione was largely shielded from the audience by court officers. (Courtroom photography later showed him taking notes on a yellow legal pad.) But the upshot was a significant development: The judge in the case, Gregory Carro, a second-generation jurist appointed by Rudy Giuliani in 1998, dismissed two state terrorism charges against Mangione. Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg had argued that the shooting, in the media capital of the world, was “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
“The People presented sufficient evidence that the defendant murdered Brian Thompson in a premeditated and calculated execution,” Carro wrote in his decision. “That does not mean, however, that the defendant did so with terroristic intent.” Mangione is due back in state court on December 1 and federal court on December 5.
As Mangione exited the courtroom, he raised his eyebrows a few times and whispered to himself. The Agnifilos smiled and nodded at the press and, as they walked away from the courthouse, were trailed by an avid portion of Mangione’s supporters.
“That got rid of half the crowd,” another court officer remarked on the sidewalk.
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Dan Adler
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Luigi Mangione’s state terrorism charges dismissed in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder, judge rules
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The state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, were dismissed Tuesday, as he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing in New York City.
Mangione walked into Manhattan Criminal Court, shackled and wearing tan prison clothing, shortly before 9:30 a.m. for the hearing on several pre-trial motions. Members of the press and the public packed the courtroom, while crowds of his supporters carried signs and chanted outside.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
When he entered, he appeared to look at the rows of public in the back very briefly, then stared straight forward. As he left, he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement — once at the defense’s first row in the gallery, and then again as he walked past the press and public.
His supporters were later seen following his attorneys down the street as they left court.
Luigi Mangione’s terrorism charges thrown out
The 27-year-old faces both state and federal charges in the killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two, last December outside a Manhattan hotel. The 11 state charges included murder and terrorism, and the federal ones carry the possibility of the death penalty.
His lawyers have been fighting to get the state charges thrown out entirely, arguing the parallel cases amount to double jeopardy. In his written decision Tuesday, Judge Gregory Carro ruled against that request.
The defense had also asked for the terrorism charges to be dropped, arguing they don’t apply. Prosecutors, however, alleged Mangione’s intent was to “violently broadcast a social and political message to the public at large.”
The judge ruled to dismiss both terrorism charges — murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism — writing they were “legally insufficient.”
“There was no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups,” Carro wrote. “Here, the crime – the heinous, but targeted and discrete killing of one person — is very different from the examples of terrorism set forth in the statute.”
Mangione still faces 9 other state counts
Mangione will still face second-degree murder and eight weapons-related charges in the state case. If convicted of the top count, it carries a sentence of 25 years to life. He has pleaded not guilty.
“We respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree,” the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said in a statement after the ruling.
The defense also wants evidence from Mangione’s backpack, including a gun and notebook, to be suppressed, claiming the contents were obtained without a search warrant. Prosecutors deny the allegations and have asked the judge to force Mangione’s lawyers to say whether they will pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence.
The judge did not rule on either of those issues Tuesday, but said hearings in the case will begin on Dec. 1. The hearings will determine whether statements he made to police and the physical evidence they obtained will be allowed and whether non-witnesses can testify.
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Alice Gainer
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Luigi Mangione case: Terrorism charges dropped against alleged Midtown assassin in killing of health insurance CEO | amNewYork
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A judge dismissed two state terrorism charges against alleged Midtown assassin Luigi Mangione on Tuesday in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December.
Photo by Dean Moses
A judge dismissed two state terrorism charges against alleged Midtown assassin Luigi Mangione on Tuesday in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December.
Mangione remains charged with first-degree murder in the execution of Thompson outside a Hilton Hotel on West 52nd Street on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024 in a homicide case that captivated the nation.
Tuesday’s ruling came amid a media circus at the New York County Criminal Court, where dozens of rabid fans of the photogenic alleged killer camped out overnight waiting to catch a glimpse of him.
Mangione was marched into a courtroom on the 13th floor of 100 Centre St. at around 9:30 a.m. He was dressed in khaki prison garb with his ankles shackled and his hands cuffed in front of him. He did not respond to amNewYork when asked how he is faring behind bars before facing Judge Gregory Carro, who would subsequently throw out the state terrorism charges.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for further updates.
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Dean Moses
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Luigi Mangione may have inspired NFL shooter, prosecutors say
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In a new court filing, federal prosecutors have accused Luigi Mangione of inspiring others to violence, including the gunman responsible for last month’s deadly shooting at the National Football League (NFL) headquarters in Manhattan.
The latest filing by federal prosecutors seeks to rebut a defense request for additional details about the evidence the government plans to present to justify seeking the death penalty for Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year in Manhattan.
Newsweek contacted Mangione’s legal defense team via online form for comment on Saturday.
Why It Matters
The allegation from federal prosecutors raises concerns that Mangione’s actions and words could be motivating copycat attacks, with prosecutors citing recent violent incidents as part of a wider pattern of extremism.
To many, Thompson’s murder was seen as a cultural moment, with Mangione being celebrated, even becoming a sex symbol, leading to concerns that his idolization by some could inspire others.
Luigi Mangione attends a hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on February 21 in New York City.
Steven Hirsch – Pool/Getty Images
What To Know
According to Wednesday’s filing, prosecutors argue that Mangione “sought to normalize” violence through his communications and online activity, portraying his alleged crimes as acts to be imitated.
Citing Shane Devon Tamura—identified as the shooter who killed four people in last month’s attack at the Midtown Manhattan office building that houses the NFL headquarters—the filing says: “Shane Tamura brought in [an] assault rifle to a Manhattan office building, a short distance away from where Mangione had killed Thompson.
“Tamura shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer, an executive of a financial services firm, and a security guard, and he injured others, including an employee of the National Football League (“NFL“).
“Like Mangione, Tamura left behind a piece of evidence for investigators to find, blaming the NFL and football for causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Almost immediately, members of the public sympathetic to the defendant touted Tamura’s actions as a laudable continuation of the defendant’s philosophy.”
Tamura died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Five days after Thompson’s murder, Mangione was found carrying a three-page, handwritten note expressing “ill will toward corporate America” when he was detained in Pennsylvania, Joseph Kenny, NYPD‘s chief of detectives, said at the time.
Ammunition used in Thompson’s murder were inscribed with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose.” Those terms are often associated with strategies employed by insurance companies to avoid paying claims, and bore close resemblance to the title of the 2010 book, Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.
Authorities allege Mangione continues to influence followers even while in custody. In the filing, prosecutors said Mangione remains a danger to the public because he is actively attempting to inspire others to replicate his actions.
“Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” the filing states. “Since the murder, certain quarters of the public—who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant—have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary substitute for reasoned political disagreement.
“The defendant poses a continuing danger not only in a personal capacity, but also because he has sought to influence others.”
What People Are Saying
The filing states: “The non-statutory aggravating factor of future dangerousness is fully warranted here because the evidence shows that the defendant represents an ongoing threat to the safety of others, whether in the community or within a custodial environment, and that his crime was motivated not by personal animus, but by a broader intent to send a message and inspire hostility toward an entire industry.
“The defendant’s writings make clear that the murder of Brian Thompson was conceived not simply as an act against one individual, but as a strike against the healthcare industry as a whole.”
The filing continued: “The context and execution of the murder strongly suggest that the defendant intended to influence or provoke broader reactions beyond the immediate killing. He wrote ‘Deny,’ ‘Depose,’ and ‘Delay,’ on the bullets he used to kill Thompson, knowing that the shell casings would likely be found by investigators and that this message—associated with criticism of the healthcare industry—would be widely disseminated in media coverage.”
What Happens Next?
As reported by Newsweek, the next court date in Mangione’s New York state case is scheduled for September 16. Mangione remains detained without bail as both federal and state prosecutions move forward.
Prosecutors are expected to push for continued detention, arguing that releasing him could pose a risk of further incitement.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to charges in Thompson’s killing. His legal team has not yet commented on the new claims raised in court.
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