The individual accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson has avoided the death penalty if he is convicted.
Luigi Mangione is currently on trial for the murder. Federal authorities were pushing for the death penalty, but a judge appears to have put a stop to that, according to CNN.
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.
The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.
The judge dismissed the murder charge because it requires that the killing was committed during another “crime of violence.” Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.
The judge disagreed, finding stalking charges are not “crimes of violence” and dismissed two counts in his federal case – murder and a related firearm offense.
The murder charge is the only count in Mangione’s federal indictment that could have carried a possible death sentence.
Mangione will still face two counts of stalking. If convicted, those counts have a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
The judge also ruled to allow evidence recovered from Mangione’s backpack into trial evidence. His attorneys previously argued the evidence should not be admitted because it was the result of an illegal search. They pointed out that investigators had not yet obtained a warrant and that they had no immediate reason to conduct a warrantless search.
BREAKING: A federal judge in New York has agreed to dismiss federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione. This takes the potential death penalty off the table. pic.twitter.com/s0AqMTfBaD
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2026
The federal government is expected to appeal the judge’s ruling, according to Bloomberg.
Mangione still faces serious charges that could place him behind bars for the rest of his life. He has pleaded not guilty to all federal and state charges.
Mangione allegedly stalked and then shot Thompson on December 4, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel just before an investor meeting was set to start. The authorities found and arrested Mangione five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. They found a firearm and handwritten notes criticizing the health insurance industry in his backpack.
State and federal prosecutors are debating when Mangione will go to trial. ABC News reported that Manhattan’s district attorney wants the state trial to begin on July 1, 2026, months before the federal case. Judge Granett scheduled jury selection for the federal case to start on September 8, with the trial possibly starting in October 2026 now that the death penalty has been taken off the table.
However, Mangione’s attorney argues that July is “unrealistic” and said her team needs the rest of the year to prepare.