Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case
Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges, even as his defense team presses a forceful bid to throw out the New York state murder case against him. Former prosecutor Nancy Grace appeared on “Fox & Friends Weekend” to break down the legal strategy unfolding after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione’s New York state murder trial has been pushed back until December after his attorneys filed a motion seeking dismissal of the charges, citing last week’s guilty plea in the related federal case.
Jury selection had originally been expected to start on Sept. 8. But Mangione’s federal guilty plea opened the door for his lawyers to argue that proceeding with the state prosecution could raise double jeopardy issues.
Prosecutors have until Oct. 9 to answer the defense motion to dismiss, Judge Gregory Carro said in an order posted Monday afternoon on the court’s website.
UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York City, according to Fox News sources. (FOX 5 New York/ WNYW | UnitedHealth)
Mangione’s defense team will then have until Oct. 30 to submit its reply.
Carro scheduled the next adjourned court date for Dec. 10.
The defense argument is rooted in a key distinction between New York law and the U.S. Constitution. With the federal case now resolved, New York’s double jeopardy protections may offer Mangione a more favorable path as he fights the state murder charges.
Read Judge Carro’s order:
Manhattan prosecutors, however, have said they plan to continue pursuing their case against him.
The 28-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate admitted Friday to stalking UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson across state lines, then shooting him in the back outside a Manhattan hotel where he was supposed to meet with investors.
Paulette Thompson, wife of late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, walks outside Manhattan Criminal Court following a hearing in the federal murder trial of Luigi Mangione, who is charged in the killing of Brian Thompson, in New York City, U.S., August 14, 2026. Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to killing Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to federal charges of stalking the executive with the intent to kill him. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)
Thompson was a 50-year-old father of two from Minnesota.
Mangione has not yet been sentenced in the federal case. Sentencing guidelines recommend about 30 years max, but Judge Margaret Garnett is not bound by them. He could still face a maximum of life in prison without parole.
If he goes to trial on the state charges, the top count of second-degree murder carries a maximum potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
