Additional Coverage:
- Luigi Mangione shouts ‘double jeopardy’ in court as 1st trial is set for June 8 at contentious hearing (businessinsider.com)
New York, NY – A New York state judge has set a June 8 trial date for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, effectively ending a nearly year-long legal tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors over who gets to try him first. The contentious decision, made on Friday, means the state trial will proceed ahead of the federal fatal stalking trial, which is now slated for jury selection on September 8 and opening statements on October 13.
The brief hearing concluded with Mangione, clad in a jail uniform and handcuffs, vehemently protesting the ruling as he was escorted out of the courtroom. “It’s the same trial twice,” he shouted to the assembled press and public.
“One plus one equals two. Double jeopardy by any common sense definition.”
The decision marks a setback for Mangione’s defense team, who had advocated for the federal trial to take precedence. Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo expressed her team’s unpreparedness for the June 8 date during a heated exchange with New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro. “The defense will not be ready on June 8,” she stated.
Justice Carro responded sharply, “Be ready!”
Friedman Agnifilo highlighted her team’s recent successes, including convincing Justice Carro in September to drop the top state charge of murder as an act of terrorism, and securing the removal of the top two counts from the federal indictment last week, eliminating the risk of the death penalty. As she began to say, “we haven’t been twiddling our thumbs,” the judge interjected impatiently, “Great.
You’ve done a great job. So be ready on June 8.”
The dispute over which jurisdiction would try Mangione first has been a central point of contention, largely revolving around the concept of double jeopardy. Mangione’s defense attorneys allege that lead state prosecutor Joel Seidemann pushed for the state trial to go first to avoid potential double jeopardy issues that could arise if the federal trial proceeded first, which could preclude a subsequent state trial under New York case law.
“Seidemann does not want his case to be double-jeopardied out because he did all that work,” Friedman Agnifilo asserted in court.
Seidemann countered, accusing the defense of attempting to prevent New York from prosecuting “a murder that happened in Midtown Manhattan, on our streets, to a guest in our city.”
Outside the courthouse, Friedman Agnifilo remarked, “All I can say is double jeopardy is something that was meant to protect people and they’re using it as a weapon.” She added, “This is a tug of war between two prosecutorial offices,” suggesting the battle may not be entirely over despite the judge’s ruling.
Mangione faces charges in both indictments for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson, a father of two from Minnesota, was ambushed from behind as he entered a Midtown Manhattan hotel to speak at an annual investor conference.
Mangione has been held without bail since his arrest on December 9, 2024, following a five-day manhunt. He is currently incarcerated at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where, last week, an individual was arrested for allegedly impersonating an FBI agent in a failed attempt to free an inmate, reportedly Mangione, according to a law enforcement source.