Additional Coverage:
- Luigi Mangione defense makes stunning new bid to quash death penalty charge in UnitedHealth CEO slaying (foxnews.com)
Mangione Defense Challenges Federal Charges, Seeks Dismissal of Death Penalty Count in CEO Murder Case
Manhattan, NY – Lawyers for Luigi Mangione have formally asked a federal judge to dismiss several federal charges, including the only count that carries the possibility of the death penalty, in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In recent court filings, Mangione’s defense team contends that federal prosecutors have overreached, stretching federal statutes beyond their original intent and unnecessarily sensationalizing the high-profile killing. They argue the case appropriately belongs in state court rather than the federal system.
Among the specific legal challenges raised, defense attorneys claim that statements made by Mangione to law enforcement should be inadmissible at trial because he was not read his Miranda rights before being questioned at a McDonald’s. They further assert that a subsequent search of his backpack, which yielded a gun and ammunition, violated his Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful searches, as it was conducted without a warrant following his arrest.
The defense also specifically targets the death penalty charge, arguing that prosecutors have failed to identify the prerequisite “other offenses” needed for such a conviction. They highlight that the alleged accompanying crime, stalking, does not qualify as a “crime of violence” under the relevant federal statute. While murder cases are typically handled at the state level, federal prosecutors invoked a law concerning murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence,” making it the sole charge for which Mangione could face the death penalty, a punishment not used in New York state courts.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His legal team maintains that the government’s case heavily relies on circumstantial evidence and procedural overreach, lacking concrete proof of intent or organized criminal activity.
This motion follows a previous request last month by Mangione’s lawyers to dismiss the federal charges or remove the death penalty option, citing public comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi had directed New York prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, characterizing Thompson’s killing as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Thompson was killed on December 4 outside a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare was hosting an investors conference. The execution-style slaying, which prosecutors allege Mangione committed due to financial and corporate disputes, was captured on camera.
Mangione was apprehended days after fleeing the scene. The assassination and its aftermath have drawn significant public attention, fueling resentment toward U.S. health insurers and raising security concerns among corporate executives.
Mangione is being represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a prominent New York defense attorney, former Manhattan prosecutor, and legal analyst. U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldberg of the Southern District of New York has scheduled oral arguments on the defense’s motions for December 5.