The ruling centred on a technical legal flaw. The murder charge required a “crime of violence” to be used as a foundation; while prosecutors argued that stalking Thompson met this threshold, Judge Garnett disagreed
A federal judge dealt a significant blow to the prosecution on Friday, ruling that Luigi Mangione cannot face the death penalty for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
US District Judge Margaret M. Garnett dismissed two of the four federal charges against Mangione: murder involving a firearm and a related weapons offence. However, she maintained two counts of federal stalking, which still carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to the December 4, 2024, shooting in midtown Manhattan.
The ruling centred on a technical legal flaw. The murder charge required a “crime of violence” to be used as a foundation; while prosecutors argued that stalking Thompson met this threshold, Garnett disagreed.
In her written opinion, Garnett acknowledged the complexity of the legal logic. “The analysis contained in the balance of this opinion may strike the average person, and indeed many lawyers and judges, as tortured and strange, and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law,” Garnett wrote.
“But it represents the Court’s committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges in this case. The law must be the Court’s only concern.”
Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo expressed relief outside the courthouse, calling it an “incredible decision.” During the hearing, cheers were heard from Mangione’s supporters, some of whom have come to view him as a folk hero for his alleged actions against the health insurance industry.
In another development, a man has been arrested after he tried to help Luigi Mangione break free from a lockup in Brooklyn. Mark Anderson arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Centre with a plan to jailbreak Mangione.
Anderson, 36, arrived at the facility impersonating an FBI agent. What made his story more believable was a piece of paperwork that was supposedly signed by a judge who authorised the release of Mangione, the accused in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder.
After failing to secure a job opportunity in New York City, Minnesota native Anderson found work at Louie & Ernie’s Pizza in Pelham Bay. However, his journey took a turn when he was arrested for impersonating a US government officer.
When asked for identification, Anderson presented a Minnesota driver’s license and claimed to be armed; a subsequent search of his backpack revealed a large barbecue fork and a pizza cutter. He appeared before a Brooklyn federal judge on Thursday afternoon but did not enter a plea.
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