New York, United States. A U.S. judge dismissed federal murder and weapons charges against Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The decision means Mangione will not face the death penalty in the federal case.
Ruling in Manhattan federal court
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said Supreme Court precedents required her to dismiss the murder charge because it was legally incompatible with the two federal stalking charges Mangione still faces.
Garnett said federal law required Mangione’s murder and weapons charges to be tied to another crime of violence. She said stalking did not meet that requirement because it was neither “inherently” violent nor always intentional, and she acknowledged that the average person might be bewildered by the dismissal.
Remaining charges and possible sentence
Mangione, 27, still faces possible life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on the stalking charges.
He also still faces murder charges in a separate case brought by state prosecutors.
Next steps and reactions
Federal prosecutor Dominic Gentile told the judge the government has not decided whether to appeal.
After the hearing, Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Agnifilo, thanked Garnett for the decision and said, “we’re all relieved.”
Background of the case
Thompson, who led UnitedHealth Group’s UNH.N health insurance business, was shot and killed on December 4, 2024, outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from Thompson’s death and has been jailed since his arrest in Pennsylvania five days after the killing.
What questions do you have about the federal and state charges Luigi Mangione still faces?