Luigi Mangione's lawyers fight to pick apart federal case that could carry death penalty amNewYork

"Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in late 2024, on Friday fought the federal charges for which the government has said it will seek the death penalty. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett of the Southern District of New York also heard the parties' request to set a trial date, indicating she is likely to begin jury selection in September, with trial beginning later in the fall or winter."

"Ahead of the Lower Manhattan hearing, which spanned two and a half hours, dozens of Mangione supporters, many of them younger women, camped out outside the courthouse, lining up to get a spot in the courtroom. A clean-shaven Mangione glanced at the gallery as he took his seat between defense attorneys, wearing a khaki prison-issued T-shirt, with an off-white long sleeve, rolled up to the elbows, underneath."

"Most of Friday's hearing centered on Mangione's motion to dismiss the third and fourth charges in his indictment: murder through use of a firearm and and a firearms offense related to carrying a gun equipped with a silencer. The first two counts relate to interstate stalking and cyberstalking. The latter two charges the ones that are death penalty-eligible hinge on firearm use while committing a crime of violence."

Luigi Mangione, 27, is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in late 2024. He fought federal charges for which the government said it will seek the death penalty. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett presided and heard requests to set a trial date, indicating jury selection may begin in September with trial starting later in the fall or winter. Dozens of supporters, many younger women, camped outside the courthouse to secure courtroom seats. Most of the hearing focused on Mangione's motion to dismiss the third and fourth counts—murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense related to a silencer—because the defense argued the underlying interstate stalking and cyberstalking counts are not crimes of violence.

Read at www.amny.com