Judge drops terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione over killing of healthcare CEO
The 27-year-old has attracted a cult following in the wake of the alleged murder.
Terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione over the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson have been dismissed.
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Mangione, 27, is accused of shooting the health care boss in a targeted killing on December 4, 2024.
New York State’s case against Mangione included both terrorism and second-degree murder charges.
Mangione's lawyers argued that the New York case and a parallel federal death penalty prosecution amounted to double jeopardy.
But Judge Gregory Carro rejected that argument, saying it would be premature to make such a determination.
It is Mangione's first court appearance in the state case since February.
Mangione has attracted a cult following as a representative of frustrations with the health insurance industry.
Dozens of his supporters attended his last hearing, many wearing the Luigi video game character's green colour as a symbol of solidarity.
His April arraignment in the federal case drew a similar outpouring.
In his written decision, the judge said that although there is no doubt that the killing was not ordinary street crime, New York law does not consider something terrorism simply because it was motivated by ideology.
"While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the healthcare industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to 'intimidate and coerce a civilian population', and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal," Judge Carro wrote.
The judge scheduled pretrial hearings in the case for December 1, which is days before Mangione is next due in court in the federal case against him.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the December 4 2024 killing.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Mr Thompson from behind as he arrived for an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Police say "delay", "deny" and "depose" were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione was arrested five days later after he was spotted eating breakfast at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of New York City. Since then, he has been held at the same Brooklyn federal jail where Sean "Diddy" Combs is locked up.
The Manhattan district attorney's office contends that there are no double jeopardy issues because neither of Mangione's cases has gone to trial and because the state and federal prosecutions involve different legal theories.
Mangione's lawyers say the duelling cases have created a "legal quagmire" that makes it "legally and logistically impossible to defend against them simultaneously".
The state charges, which carry a maximum of life in prison, allege that Mangione wanted to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population", that is, insurance employees and investors. The federal charges allege that Mangione stalked Thompson and do not involve terrorism allegations.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that she was directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for "an act of political violence" and a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America".