In brief
Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is not facing the death penalty, as a federal judge has dismissed key charges against him. Mangione has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial later this year.
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty if convicted of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge has ruled. US District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed two of the four federal charges against the 27-year-old, including murder through the use of a firearm, which carried the potential death sentence.Mangione was arrested days after he allegedly shot Thompson as he was walking into a conference on a busy Manhattan street in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including the two remaining federal counts of stalking and separate state murder charges.Jury selection in the federal trial is slated to begin on 8 September, with opening statements starting on 13 October. However, state prosecutors are seeking to try Mangione as soon as 1 July.In her ruling, Judge Garnett stated that two of the federal charges did not meet the statutory definition of a 'crime of violence'. She noted that her decision solely aimed to foreclose the death penalty as an option for the jury responsible for determining Mangione's conviction. Additionally, she allowed evidence from Mangione's seized backpack, which contained items such as a ghost gun and fake IDs, to be included in the trial, despite defense attorneys' attempts to dismiss it due to claims of illegal search.
