Judge Drops Terrorism Charges in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Members of the public, including a woman wearing a "Free Luigi" shirt, enter a courtroom before Luigi Mangione is escorted into the courtroom in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A New York judge on Monday dismissed terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in the high-profile case involving the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. However, second-degree murder charges filed by the state remain in place.
Mangione, 27, is also facing federal charges that could result in the death penalty, prompting his attorneys to argue that the dual prosecutions amount to double jeopardy. Judge Gregory Carro rejected that claim, calling it premature. This was Mangione’s first appearance in the state case since February.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, has gained a controversial following online, becoming a symbolic figure for critics of the health insurance industry. At his last court appearance, dozens of supporters wore green—the signature color of the video game character Luigi—in a show of solidarity.
In a written decision, Judge Carro acknowledged that while Mangione’s actions were ideologically driven, they didn’t meet the legal definition of terrorism under New York law. “While the defendant was clearly expressing animus toward UHC and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate or coerce a civilian population,’” Carro wrote, adding that no such intent was proven.
Pretrial hearings in the state case are scheduled for December 1, just days before Mangione is due in federal court. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges stemming from the December 4 killing of Thompson, including the now-dismissed state terrorism count.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office maintain there’s no conflict between the two cases, noting that neither has gone to trial and that they are based on different legal grounds. The state case alleges Mangione acted to intimidate insurance employees and investors, while the federal case focuses on stalking and does not include terrorism-related charges.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that the federal government would pursue the death penalty, describing the killing as “an act of political violence.”
Mangione’s legal team says the overlapping prosecutions have created a “legal quagmire” and argue that it’s impossible to mount an adequate defense in both cases at once.
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