Mangione’s federal trial over CEO killing moved to January as state murder trial looms

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NEW YORK – A Manhattan federal judge on Monday delayed Luigi Mangione‘s trial over the killing of a health insurance executive to January, citing potential overlap with Mangione’s upcoming trial on state murder charges.

Mangione, the 28-year-old Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Baltimore-area family, is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in Midtown in 2024.

The shooting was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of the frustration felt by many Americans concerning rising healthcare costs and health insurance industry practices.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the federal case and faces two counts of stalking after murder and weapons charges were thrown out.

He appeared in beige prison garb for Monday’s hearing before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan, who said she was rescheduling Mangione’s trial from November to January 25, 2027, to avoid conflicts with a parallel state case.

Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in January. The surprise ruling foreclosed a possible death penalty for Mangione, though he could still face a life sentence if convicted of stalking in the federal trial. New York state does not have a death penalty.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. His trial in that case is set for September before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan.

Mangione’s lawyer Karen Agnifilo told Garnett on Monday that Carro said he will not grant any requests to delay the September 8 trial date, despite last-minute legal maneuvering by Mangione to introduce evidence of mental illness.

Thompson led UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit before he was slain in the early morning outside a hotel where an investor conference was taking place. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt.

Some critics of the health insurance industry have supported Mangione by raising money for his legal defense and attending his court appearances in solidarity.

Reporting for Reuters by Jack Queen in New York; editing by Will Dunham and Matthew Lewis.