Death Penalty Charges Dropped for Luigi Mangione

30 Jan 2026, 15:52 · Rolling Stone

On Friday, Luigi Mangione appeared at New York federal court in Manhattan, where Federal judge Margaret Garnett announced she was dismissing two charges, including a murder charge, eliminating the possibility of a death penalty sentence against Mangione in his federal case.

Mangione is facing charges in federal court and New York State court for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The four federal charges against him included two stalking charges, murder through the use of a firearm, and a firearms offense. The murder through the use of a firearm charge carried a possible death penalty sentence. Mangione’s defense argued that the stalking charges do not meet the legal requirements for a “crime of violence.” Judge Garnett, according to Friday morning’s opinion, agreed. Now only the two stalking charges remain in his federal case. Mangione faces the maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. (He does not face the death penalty in any of his other cases.)

The defendant, 27, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, including weapons and forgery charges in Pennsylvania state court, where he was arrested at an Altoona McDonald’s in December 2024. In April 2025, Mangione was arraigned in federal court. That same month, the U.S. government filed notice it would seek the death penalty. Since then, Mangione’s defense and the prosecution have submitted multiple legal filings about whether or not the death penalty charges should be dismissed. On Jan. 9, the prosecution and defense presented oral arguments about the matter.

“The case will proceed to trial on Counts One and Two, which charge the Defendant with causing Brian Thompson’s death under two federal stalking laws,” wrote Garnett in her decision. She added that while “no one could seriously question” that the charges Mangione is accused of constitute “violent criminal conduct,” they don’t meet the legal requirements to be considered a “crime of violence” under Supreme Court precedent. Counts three and four involve travel stalking and cyberstalking, which Garnett rules can occur without the “use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force.” If there is even one case of stalking that does not involve force, then the stalking crimes cannot all be considered crimes of violence, even if the specific case involved a violent act.

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“The analysis contained in the balance of this opinion may strike the average person — and indeed many lawyers and judges — as tortured and strange and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law,” writes Garnett. “But it represents the Court’s committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges of this case.”

In addition to the murder and firearm charges, there was also the question of whether Mangione’s backpack, which was searched while he was being detained in Altoona, would be admissible as evidence in the case. On Friday, Judge Garnett ruled that it would be allowed as evidence in court.

On Friday Mangione arrived at court unshackled in his tan prison garb. He remained somber throughout the proceedings, briefly whispering with his attorneys. His legal team, however, were all smiles when they walked into the courtroom, hugging each other and celebrating the news that the death penalty was dropped, which was announced in paperwork filed just before court started. After the hearing, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who leads Mangione’s defense, was asked how he reacted when he heard the news the death penalty-related charge was dropped. “We’re all very relieved,” she replied.

Friedman Agnifilo has said that both President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi have prejudiced the case by their public comments about Mangione. In September, President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News and called Mangione a “pure assassin” adding he “shot someone in the back.” Trump later declared he considered anyone supporting Mangione to be a domestic terrorist. This was soon after a New York State judge had dismissed terrorism charges against Mangione, citing lack of evidence.
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Garnett had previously admonished Bondi and told the Justice Department to refrain from commenting publicly on the case.

On Jan. 23, Garnett heard from an Altoona police officer in a one-day suppression hearing to determine whether or not evidence acquired during Mangione’s arrest violated his constitutional rights, which is what his defense team claims. (In December, a New York state judge oversaw a three-week evidence suppression hearing and will rule with his decision on May 18.)

On Friday, the prosecution and defense discussed plans for the jury questionnaire they are preparing for potential jurors in Mangione’s federal case. Judge Garnett confirmed that jury selection will begin Sept. 8 and she’ll begin hearing evidence and arguments for the case in mid- October.

Earlier this week, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann submitted a letter to New York Supreme Court Judge Gregory Carro asking that the state trial against Mangione be allowed to begin on July 1, 2026, ahead of Mangione’s federal trial.

“New York State unquestionably has a deep interest in, upholding the fundamental right to life, maintaining public order, and delivering justice for a murder committed in its jurisdiction,” wrote Seidemann. “Federal law supports our request that we proceed first and our right to a speedy resolution of this case would be severely compromised should the federal trial proceed first.”

Friedman Agnifilo replied in a statement, saying the federal government already has a firm trial date. “As a practical matter, Mr. Mangione’s defense team will require the remainder of the year to prepare for that trial. We will respond to the Court about this unrealistic request in the coming days.”

On Friday, Mangione’s team and the federal prosecutors stated their readiness to begin the federal trial and Garnett said that the state case is none of her concern, and she intends to proceed. She asked that the government keep her updated on whether or not they plan to appeal her dismissal of the charges.

Death penalty reform activist Reverend Jeff Hood responded to the news of the capital punishment charges being dropped in a statement to Rolling Stone. “The state stepping back from killing Luigi Mangione isn’t mercy, it’s restraint,” says Hood. “And restraint is the bare minimum we should expect from a system that has already taken far too much.”

Death Penalty Action announced they will be closing down their advocacy in Mangione’s case. “This is yet another example of the political bluster and opportunism of the Trump Administration being shut down by rational thinking and the careful consideration of a judge,” said Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action. “We hope that removing the possibility of an execution decades from now will allow for a quicker path toward healing for the family and friends of Brian Thompson, the victim in this case.”

The day before Mangione appeared in federal court, a Minnesota man named Mark Anderson was charged with impersonating an FBI agent in an alleged effort to break Mangione out of the Brooklyn jail where he is being held. According to the complaint, Anderson arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center at 6:50 p.m. claiming he had paperwork signed by a judge to release an inmate. A law enforcement source says the inmate was Mangione, although Mangione was not named in the complaint or brought up by name at Anderson’s arraignment.

Death Penalty Charges Dropped for Luigi Mangione

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