NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Luigi Mangione have requested that a judge dismiss his state murder charges in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Their argument centers on claims that pursuing both state-level and parallel federal charges constitutes double jeopardy. If the charges are not dismissed, Mangione's legal team is seeking to eliminate the terrorism-related accusations and prevent prosecutors from utilizing evidence obtained during his arrest in December 2023.
Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt. Evidence gathered includes a 9 mm handgun, ammunition, and a notebook mentioning his intent to “wack” an insurance executive. His defense team wants to suppress statements Mangione made to police officers during his arrest, including an apology he offered for the disruption caused by his arrest and his concern for a McDonald's employee who identified him to law enforcement.
The murder of Thompson on December 4, 2023, outside a Manhattan hotel has sparked a complex legal battle between state and federal prosecutors over the direction of Mangione's case. Lawyers for Mangione claimed in a detailed 57-page court filing that the simultaneous state and federal cases, alongside a third Pennsylvania case involving gun charges, represent “unprecedented prosecutorial one-upmanship.” They accused authorities of attempting to convict Mangione of murder through multiple avenues.
Despite the grave stakes, Mangione’s lawyers assert that law enforcement has violated his constitutional rights, alleging that officers interrogated him without informing him of his right to remain silent and conducted searches of his property without proper warrants. The Manhattan district attorney has indicated that they will respond to these claims in formal court documents.
Mangione, who is set to turn 27 on an upcoming Tuesday, has entered a not-guilty plea in both state and federal cases. He has been detained in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his extradition to New York. His next court appearance in the state case is scheduled for June 26, 2024, and Judge Gregory Carro is expected to rule on the dismissal motion then. The next federal court date is on December 5, 2024, which coincides with the anniversary of Thompson's murder.
Initially, prosecutors suggested that the state trial would take precedence; however, Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has argued for the federal case to be prioritized due to the potential application of the death penalty. Aside from seeking to dismiss the state charges, Mangione's defense is also challenging the charges relating to terrorism, suggesting there are no factual grounds for this classification and arguing that utilizing post-9/11 terrorism statutes undermines legislative intent.
Surveillance footage captured the moment Thompson was shot by a masked gunman as he arrived for UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference. Reports indicate that words like "delay," "deny," and "depose" were etched on the ammunition, echoing terminology often associated with insurance companies' practices to avoid fulfilling claims. The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, has described the killing as one intended to instill fear and terror.
Mangione faces federal charges that include murder via a firearm, which carries the possibility of capital punishment, alongside two counts of stalking and other firearm-related offenses. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has mandated that federal prosecutors pursue the death penalty, characterizing the act as “political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination” that has shocked the country. The shocking nature of the killing and the subsequent search have unsettled the business sector while also rallying health insurance critics, who view Mangione as a symbol of their grievances concerning coverage denials and exorbitant medical bills.
The conflicting arguments of the state and federal prosecutions—one asserting an intention to terrorize the public and the other focusing on stalking a single individual—have created a “legal quagmire,” making it daunting for Mangione’s defense to navigate both cases concurrently. His lawyers emphasize the unusually complex legal landscape of his situation, citing a lack of precedents for such a convoluted case.
