Luigi Mangione Erupts In Courtroom Outburst After Judge Sets State Trial Date

Suspected assassin Luigi Mangione spoke out in court on Friday after a New York judge set his state trial date for June 8.

As he was being escorted out of the courtroom, Mangione raged against the state trial moving forward, as he also faces a federal trial. Mangione faces multiple state charges, including second-degree murder related to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all state and federal charges.

“One plus one equals two. This is the same trial twice,” Mangione said, according to Fox 5 New York. “This is double jeopardy by any common sense definition.”

The suspected assassin was unexpectedly ordered back in court on Friday by Manhattan state Judge Gregory Carro. His next appearance in state court wasn’t scheduled until May. Mangione’s lawyer objected to the June 8 trial start date, arguing that the defense team would also be preparing for the federal trial at that time.

“Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation,” defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said, according to the Associated Press. “This is a tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.”

“The defense will not be ready on June 8,” she added.

“Be ready,” the judge replied.

Jury selection for Mangione’s federal trial was set for September 8, with opening statements scheduled for October 13. Last week, the judge overseeing Mangione’s federal trial dropped the murder charge that carried a potential death penalty.

In a surprising twist to the federal trial, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett agreed with Mangione’s defense team and said that stalking does not constitute “a crime of violence.” The judge acknowledged that her decision was “strange,” but argued that violence is defined by using force, and stalking could technically be committed without using force, ABC News reported.

Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Joel Seidemann argued for Mangione’s state trial to begin before the federal trial, saying that the state’s interests “would be unfairly prejudiced by an unnecessary delay.” Seidemann also told the judge that Thompson’s family wants the state trial to proceed first, which would also help prosecutors avoid a double jeopardy challenge. New York state law could prevent Mangione from being tried at the state level if his federal trial comes first.

Judge Carro said on Friday, “It appears the federal government has reneged on its agreement to let the state, which has done most of the work in this case, go first.”

In May, Carro will decide whether prosecutors can use evidence seized from Mangione when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Investigators say that Mangione was found with a 9 mm handgun that connects him to the crime scene and a notebook, where Mangione allegedly discusses taking out Thompson.

U.S. District Judge Garnett ruled last week that federal prosecutors can use the items found on Mangione when he was arrested as evidence.