Judge Tosses Two Terrorism Charges Against Luigi Mangione

A New York judge on Tuesday threw out two state charges of murder related to terrorism against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.

Judge Gregory Carro tossed charges of murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, saying that the evidence presented to the grand jury did not support terrorism charges, ABC News reported. A second-degree murder charge against the 27-year-old suspect remains in place.

Mangione made his first court appearance in five months on Tuesday after he was arrested in December and accused of killing Thompson, a 50-year-old husband and father of two, in Midtown Manhattan. Thompson was shot from behind on the morning of December 4, 2024, as he was walking near the Hilton hotel in Midtown, which was hosting an annual investor’s conference.

Mangione also faces federal charges and other state charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested five days after Thompson was gunned down. The suspect’s defense team argued that the New York state charges should be dismissed, claiming that Mangione faces double jeopardy due to the overlap between the federal and state charges, according to NBC News. The judge called the defense’s argument “premature.”

In April, Mangione was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges, including murder through the use of a firearm, a count that makes him eligible for the death penalty. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ would pursue the death penalty for Mangione, arguing that Thompson’s killing “was an act of political violence.”

Police arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt. Investigators said that a backpack that Mangione was carrying when he was arrested contained the alleged murder weapon, a fake ID, and a diary. Mangione’s defense team has argued that the evidence seized during Mangione’s arrest should be suppressed, claiming that police conducted a warrantless search of Mangione’s belongings.

One entry in the diary found in Mangione’s backpack discusses how someone should “wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention,” according to a court filing.

“It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents. Most importantly, the point is self-evident,” the entry added.

“I finally feel confident about what I will do,” another entry states, according to authorities. “The target is insurance. It checks every box.”

Hearings for Mangione’s case are set to begin on December 1, but a trial date has not been scheduled. Mangione pleaded not guilty to the state charges in New York and Pennsylvania as well as to the federal charges.