New York.- Luigi Mangione, accused of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty in his federal case after a judge dismissed on Friday the charges that made him susceptible to this sentence.
Judge
Margaret Garnett, agreed to drop counts three and four, interstate harassment and murder with a firearm, which are the ones that made her federal trial a case with the possibility of capital punishment.
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The news was made public with a legal document minutes before a hearing in the case began at the United States Federal Court in Manhattan, and the joy, both of the defense and Mangione’s supporters, could be felt in the courtroom.
Before entering, the supporters of the 27-year-old, mostly women, shouted with joy in unison.
Most of his followers were dressed in green, a color that became a symbol of support for Mangione because of the video game character Super Mario, and they queued outside the court to be able to enter the hearing as the public, even though the thermal sensation today was around -20 ° Celsius (-4° Fahrenheit).
On the other hand, in Mangione’s defense team there were hugs, handshakes and many smiles.
Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty and is being held in a federal prison in New York, entered the courtroom with a serious face and dressed in a khaki-colored prisoner’s uniform.
Life imprisonment, the maximum penalty
Judge Garnett explained today that her decision to suppress the death penalty was based on the need for the charges to meet the federal legal definition of ‘violent crime’ as a matter of law, something she only considers to be met in counts one and two, interstate stalking and use of electronic communications to stalk, resulting in death.
If found guilty, the maximum sentence Mangione will face is “life in prison without parole.”
Garnett gave the prosecution until February 28 to appeal.
The judge also ruled that evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack, including a pistol and a manifesto, will be admitted in the trial, after he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania five days after the shooting in New York.
400 jury candidates
In today’s hearing, some details about the trial were also revealed. Jury selection for the federal trial against Mangione is scheduled for September 8th and the trial is set to begin on October 13th.
Garnett pointed out that since this is not a capital punishment process, it is not necessary to summon 1,000 jury candidates and that 400 will be sufficient.
“We will ensure that candidates who cannot be impartial to either side are not part of the trial,” he stressed, and pointed out that it is not the first time that this court in the Big Apple has dealt with a high-profile trial.
Last year, the rapper Sean Combs, known as Diddy, went through the same court, and in 2024 the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, did as well.
At the end of the hearing, Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Agnifilo, told the press that both the young man and his legal team are “very relieved” that he is not facing the death penalty.
“Thanks to all the people who have come here in the cold, for all the support. We received your letters, we received your emails and we really appreciate all the support,” he declared.
The lawyer also alluded to the man who was arrested this week after showing up at the prison where Mangione is being held, claiming to be an FBI agent and stating that he had a court order to release the young man.
“I don’t know anything about that. I heard something about it and I understand that Mangione wasn’t even mentioned, so I don’t even know if it’s related,” concluded the lawyer.
