Luigi Mangione Federal Trial Set for January in Manhattan as State Case Looms in September

NEW YORK (WABC) — Luigi Mangione’s federal trial in Manhattan is now set to begin January 5, when jury selection gets underway. Opening statements are scheduled to follow on January 25.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said she had hoped the federal case could move forward this fall, but Mangione’s state trial, which is scheduled to start September 8, has made that timeline unworkable.

“In my view it’s simply impossible for us to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully engaged in the state trial,” Garnett said.

Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the court that New York State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro is expected to keep the state case on schedule for its September 8 start date.

“We’ve been told that no requests for adjournment will be granted and to be ready on that date,” she said.

Ahead of the federal trial, hundreds of potential jurors from Manhattan, the Bronx and New York City’s northern suburbs will be asked to complete questionnaires in December. Garnett said the questionnaire will not be posted on the public docket until every prospective juror has submitted one, explaining that the need to protect a fair and impartial jury outweighs the usual presumption of public access to the filing.

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The defense indicated it may seek to add questions to the form depending on how Mangione’s state trial unfolds.

When individual voir dire begins on January 5, attorneys are expected to question several dozen prospective jurors each day until they have a qualified pool of 38 people. From there, lawyers will be able to exercise peremptory strikes before the final jury is seated.

The jury will be comprised of 12 jurors and 6 alternates.

Mangione said nothing during the hearing. He walked out in silence.

Earlier, Mangione was stuck with the U,S, marshals in an elevator, delaying his court appearance.

Mangione entered the courtroom in beige jail garb, about 20 minutes late, and chatted with his attorneys as supporters filling the back rows leaned in to look at him.