Federal Judge Says Prosecutors Can’t Pursue Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione

A Manhattan judge ruled on Friday that federal prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty against suspected assassin Luigi Mangione, a major twist ahead of the highly anticipated trial.

Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty last year after Mangione was arrested and hit with federal charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, however, said the parts of the case that made the death penalty a possibility had “legal infirmities,” The New York Post reported.

The federal charge against Mangione that made him eligible for the death penalty accused him of “using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a crime of violence.” Garnett said that she was dismissing that part of the indictment “solely to preclude the death penalty as an available punishment when the jury determines if the Defendant caused Brian Thompson’s death.”

Garnett agreed with Mangione’s defense team and said that stalking does not constitute “a crime of violence.” The judge acknowledged that her decision was “strange,” but argued that violence is defined by using force, and stalking could technically be committed without using force, ABC News reported.

Thompson was gunned down from behind in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024, as he was walking to a hotel during his company’s annual investor conference.

The ruling means that Mangione now faces a maximum of life in prison without parole. Prosecutors plan on appealing Garnett’s decision, NBC 4 New York reported.

This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.