Luigi Mangione's NYS trial postponed in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11. Credit: AP/David Dee Delgado
The New York State murder trial against Luigi Mangione, scheduled to begin next month, has been postponed until at least Dec. 10, a judge ordered on Monday.
The delay comes on the heels of a guilty plea in the charges Mangione was facing in federal court. In a surprise turn last Friday, the 28-year-old Ivy League graduate pleaded guilty in federal court to stalking charges that led to the killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel.
"On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died," Mangione told federal District Court Judge Margaret Garnett during a change of plea hearing. "When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury."
Almost immediately, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo filed a motion to dismiss the state case on the grounds that it violates the double jeopardy clause of the Constitution.
The Fifth Amendment prohibits a defendant from being tried twice for the same crime.
Jury selection in the state case, which charges Mangione with murder, illegal weapons charges and carrying a fake New Jersey driver’s license, was set to begin on Sept. 8 and last up to eight weeks.
Because Mangione’s legal team has asked the case to be dropped, State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro set a new timeline to hear arguments from both the prosecution and the defense on the double jeopardy issue.
"While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions," spokesman Doug Cohen said in an email statement on Friday. "The Manhattan D.A.’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family."
Carro gave prosecutors until Oct. 9 to respond to the defense motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys will have until Oct. 30 to respond.
Mangione will be back in state court on Dec. 10 to hear more arguments and perhaps a decision on the issue.
He is facing a possible life sentence at his next federal court hearing on Dec. 18.
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