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New York State Trial Date Set for Mangione in UnitedHealthcare Executive Shooting
NEW YORK – The New York state trial for Luigi Mangione, accused in the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealthcare executive, is scheduled to commence on June 8, a judge announced in court Friday. This decision came despite strong objections from defense attorneys, who cited an upcoming federal trial in April.
Mangione, 27, made his first public statement since hearings began, declaring, “One plus one equals two. This is double jeopardy by any common sense judgment,” as he exited the courtroom.
He faces multiple state charges in connection with the December 2024 Manhattan shooting of Brian Thompson, 50, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Additionally, Mangione is confronting federal charges in New York and state charges in Pennsylvania related to the case.
He has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges and could face life imprisonment if convicted in the New York state proceedings.
Judge Gregory Carro set the June 8 trial date, instructing Mangione’s defense team to be prepared. Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo expressed significant concern, stating, “Luigi Mangione is being put in a terrible position with two different prosecutions. It is not his position to try this case in the middle of a federal case which is already set for trial.”
However, Manhattan District Attorney prosecutor Joel Seidemann argued that the defense’s strategy was to initiate the federal case first, hoping a double jeopardy claim would then prevent the state trial. Seidemann emphasized the Thompson family’s desire for justice, noting that Thompson’s 78-year-old mother wishes for the state case to proceed first. The June 8 start date is nearly a month earlier than the July 1 date initially requested by prosecutors.
A heated exchange occurred between Agnifilo and Judge Carro regarding the trial timeline, with Agnifilo stressing her team “will not be ready” by June 8. The judge firmly responded, “Be ready!”
Ahead of Friday’s hearing, over 20 supporters gathered outside the courthouse. Some wore shirts bearing messages such as “Luigi Mangione: Not in the Epstein Files” and “Everyone Has A Right to Due Process.”
This development follows a federal judge’s ruling last week that prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty against Mangione. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett also dismissed two of the four federal counts against him: murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a potential death sentence, and a related firearms offense.
Judge Garnett further ruled that evidence collected from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, days after Thompson’s death, could be used in the federal trial. Authorities reported finding ghost guns, fake IDs, and a personal journal in the backpack.
Prosecutors allege that entries in the journal expressed grievances with the U.S. healthcare system, including a suggestion to “wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.” Thompson was shot outside the location where UnitedHealthcare was scheduled to hold an annual investor conference.
The admissibility of this evidence was a point of contention between prosecutors and Mangione’s defense, who argued the search was illegal. Judge Carro has yet to issue a decision on what evidence, if any, will be excluded from the New York state trial.