The state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, were dismissed Tuesday, as he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing in New York City.
Mangione walked into Manhattan Criminal Court wearing a tan prison jumpsuit shortly before 9:30 a.m. for the hearing on several pre-trial motions. Dozens of members of the press packed the courtroom, as well as members of the public.
Luigi Mangione trial update: Terrorism charges dismissed
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Mangione faces both state and federal charges in the killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two, last December outside a Manhattan hotel. The 11 state charges included murder and terrorism, and the federal ones carry the possibility of the death penalty.
His lawyers have been fighting to get the state charges thrown out, arguing the parallel cases amount to double jeopardy. In his written decision Tuesday, Judge Gregory Carro ruled against that request.
The defense had also asked for the terrorism charges to be dropped, arguing they don’t apply. Prosecutors, however, alleged Mangione’s intent was to “violently broadcast a social and political message to the public at large.”
The judge ruled to dismiss both terrorism charges — murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism — writing they were “legally insufficient.”
“There was no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups,” Carro wrote. “Here, the crime – the heinous, but targeted and discrete killing of one person — is very different from the examples of terrorism set forth in the statute.”
Mangione will still face second-degree murder and eight weapons-related charges in the state case. He has pleaded not guilty.
The defense also wanted evidence from his backpack, including a gun and notebook, to be suppressed, claiming the contents were obtained without a search warrant. Prosecutors deny the allegations and have asked the judge to force Mangione’s lawyers to say whether they will pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence.
The judge did not rule on either of those issues Tuesday, but said hearings in the case will begin on Dec. 1.