Lawyers for Luigi Mangione Seek Dismissal of State Murder Charges
Luigi Mangione, accused in the December 4, 2024, murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is facing a complex legal battle as his lawyers attempt to have state murder charges dismissed.The case has garnered notable public attention, drawing comparisons to other high-profile legal proceedings.
Mangione’s legal team argues the simultaneous state and federal prosecutions create a “legal quagmire” making a simultaneous defense “legally and logistically unfeasible.” The Manhattan District Attorney’s office disputes this, stating no double jeopardy issues exist as neither case has gone to trial and the prosecutions are based on different legal theories.
Currently, Judge Gregory Carro is considering requests from Mangione’s lawyers to dismiss terrorism charges in the state case and to bar the use of evidence obtained during his December arrest. This evidence includes a 9 mm handgun and a notebook containing writings where authorities allege Mangione expressed intent to “wack” an insurance executive.
Prosecutors are also seeking a declaration from Mangione’s lawyers regarding whether they intend to pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence related to any mental disease or defect. Judge Carro could rule on these requests Tuesday, schedule further hearings, or issue written decisions at a later date.
Mangione has already pleaded not guilty to multiple federal murder counts, including murder as an act of terrorism. Surveillance video depicts a masked gunman shooting thompson as he arrived for an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown. Investigators found the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” scrawled on the ammunition, referencing tactics insurers use to avoid claims payouts.
Mangione was apprehended five days after the shooting while eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 230 miles west of New York City. He was then transported to Manhattan by plane and helicopter and has as been held in the same brooklyn federal jail as Sean “Diddy” combs.
The federal case, pursued with the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, seeks the death penalty, characterizing the killing as “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Court filings from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office highlight excerpts from Mangione’s handwritten diary,detailing his desire to target an insurance executive and his admiration for Ted Kaczynski,the Unabomber. Prosecutors cite writings where Mangione expressed a desire to rebel against the “deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel” and stated that killing an industry executive “conveys a greedy bastard that had it coming.” He also allegedly penned a confession “To the feds,” stating, “it had to be done.”
Prosecutors argue these writings, described at times as a manifesto, ”convey one clear message: that the murder of Brian Thompson was intended to bring about revolutionary change to the healthcare industry.” the state charges allege Mangione intended to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population,” specifically insurance employees and investors, while the federal charges focus on stalking Thompson and do not include terror allegations.
