A federal judge in New York on Friday dismissed the death-eligible counts from Luigi Mangione’s indictment.
Mangione, who is accused of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.
The defense wanted the death penalty taken off the table, arguing that stalking “fails to qualify as a crime of violence” and therefore cannot be the predicate to make Mangione eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted of the federal charges. The defense also argued that the decision to seek the death penalty was political and circumvented the federal government’s protocols.
Luigi Mangione appears for a suppression of evidence hearing in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan Criminal Court, December 18, 2025 in New York City.
Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images
Judge Margaret Garnett has said Mangione would stand trial for the federal case in October if the death penalty was taken off the table. Garnett said jury selection will begin on Sept. 8.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office submitted a letter this week urging Mangione’s state trial to begin on July 1, before the federal case.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Dec. 16, 2025, in New York.
Seth Wenig/AP
Garnett on Friday also declined to suppress evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack when he was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Mangione’s lawyers have argued the backpack search was illegal and police should not have had immediate access to the items inside, including the alleged murder weapon, a notebook and writings. Federal prosecutors contend the Altoona Police Department’s search followed departmental procedures.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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