The murderer of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare will not be hanged. A federal court dismissed the murder charges

A federal judge in New York on Friday dismissed murder and related gun charges against Luigi Mangione, suspected of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. As highlighted by the AP, this decision means that the defendant will not face the death penalty in federal proceedings.

The court's ruling is a major blow to federal prosecutors. According to an analysis by the New York Times, prosecutors sought the maximum sentence in a case that was supposed to be the first such serious trial during President Donald Trump's second term – after his announcements to resume federal executions.

In the US legal system, most murders are tried in state courts. As experts quoted by the American media explain, the federal trial – which could result in a death sentence throughout the country – requires proving that the crime involved the violation of specific nationwide regulations. In this case, the prosecutor's office tried to link the murder with the so-called stalking, but the judge found this construction incorrect.

Stalking, defined in the indictment as persistent harassment, involves maliciously and repeatedly following another person, causing that person to feel reasonable fear. According to the prosecutor's office, 27-year-old Mangione tracked Thompson on the Internet and then traveled between states to commit the crime in December 2024. Judge Margaret Garnett, however, found that stalking did not fit the strict definition of a “violent crime”, which – as the AP emphasized – formally made it impossible to seek the death penalty.

Even though the most serious charge was dismissed, Mangione still faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court upheld other points of the accusation, regarding harassment of the victim, which – due to the tragic result, which was the death of a person – are, according to the Federal Code, punishable by a maximum penalty of imprisonment.

An important victory for the prosecutor's office is the decision to admit key evidence discovered in the defendant's backpack when he was detained by the police. The officers found there, among others: a gun, a loaded magazine and a notebook which, according to prosecutors, proves Mangione's guilt. The judge rejected defense arguments that searching the backpack without a warrant was illegal.

Jury selection in the federal trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, with opening arguments scheduled for Oct. 13. The case has been raising huge emotions in the US for months, including: due to the political debate surrounding the application of the maximum penalty.

Andrzej Dobrowolski from New York (PAP)

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