NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione is due in court Tuesday as his lawyers push to have his state murder charges thrown out in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They argue that the New York case and a parallel federal death penalty prosecution amount to double jeopardy.
Also to be decided: a trial date and whether the state case or federal case will go first.
It’s Mangione’s first court appearance in the state case since February. The 27-year-old Ivy League graduate has attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations with the health insurance industry. Dozens of his supporters showed up to his last hearing, many wearing the Luigi video game character’s green color as a symbol of solidarity. His April arraignment in the federal case drew a similar outpouring.
If Judge Gregory Carro permits the state case to go forward, Mangione’s lawyers have said they want him to dismiss terrorism charges and bar prosecutors from using evidence collected during Mangione’s arrest last December, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities say he described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive.
Prosecutors want the judge to force Mangione’s lawyers to state whether they’ll pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence of any mental disease or defect he may have.
Carro could either rule on those requests on Tuesday, schedule additional hearings or issue written decisions at a later date.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting 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