Federal Judge Saves Luigi Mangione from Death Penalty by Dismissing Murder Charges
A Manhattan federal judge on Friday spared the life of accused murderer Luigi Mangione, ruling that he should face only two stalking charges instead of a host of murder and firearms charges. Mangione had been charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel in December 2024.
Judge Margaret Garnett ruled that the murder and firearms charges be dropped solely to prevent the death penalty from becoming an option, despite finding Mangione guilty of stalking. However, he will still face two federal stalking charges each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Mangione's lawyers had argued on a technicality that prosecutors could only pursue those charges if they were also accusing Mangione of other violent crimes, and claimed the stalking charges didn't meet the legal criteria. The judge found this argument "absurd" but was forced to dismiss the charges due to Supreme Court precedent.
The decision came after nearly three hours of heated debate between prosecutors and defense attorneys earlier in the month. Despite finding Mangione guilty of planning and carrying out a violent crime, Judge Garnett noted that she had to consider hypothetical scenarios rather than actual actions when assessing the stalking charges.
The ruling leaves only state charges pending against Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty in both cases. State judges have previously dismissed terrorism-related charges in the state case, leaving Mangione with limited options for appeal.
Prosecutors now face a deadline of February 27 to decide whether they will appeal Judge Garnett's decision. Jury selection is set to begin on September 8, and the judge has urged both sides to stick to the court schedule.
A Manhattan federal judge on Friday spared the life of accused murderer Luigi Mangione, ruling that he should face only two stalking charges instead of a host of murder and firearms charges. Mangione had been charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel in December 2024.
Judge Margaret Garnett ruled that the murder and firearms charges be dropped solely to prevent the death penalty from becoming an option, despite finding Mangione guilty of stalking. However, he will still face two federal stalking charges each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Mangione's lawyers had argued on a technicality that prosecutors could only pursue those charges if they were also accusing Mangione of other violent crimes, and claimed the stalking charges didn't meet the legal criteria. The judge found this argument "absurd" but was forced to dismiss the charges due to Supreme Court precedent.
The decision came after nearly three hours of heated debate between prosecutors and defense attorneys earlier in the month. Despite finding Mangione guilty of planning and carrying out a violent crime, Judge Garnett noted that she had to consider hypothetical scenarios rather than actual actions when assessing the stalking charges.
The ruling leaves only state charges pending against Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty in both cases. State judges have previously dismissed terrorism-related charges in the state case, leaving Mangione with limited options for appeal.
Prosecutors now face a deadline of February 27 to decide whether they will appeal Judge Garnett's decision. Jury selection is set to begin on September 8, and the judge has urged both sides to stick to the court schedule.
Guess you could say he got 'stalking' down a dead-end street now? 
Anyway, I feel bad for Brian Thompson's family, but on the bright side, Luigi gets to live and all that jazz! The whole thing is super confusing, like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions. At least the judge was all "absurd" on Mangione's lawyers' argument... talk about a 'stalking' sense of humor 
. It's all about the politics and lawyers' moves. The real victims here are Brian Thompson's family 
... it's not fair that they got no justice for his death 
. Mangione might be stuck in a tight spot now, but he still has some state charges pending, so let's see how that plays out 
... and what about the prosecutors? Will they appeal? 
. And now they're gonna appeal the judge's decision, so we'll see what happens next 
. Meanwhile, Mangione's still stuck with these stalking charges that could give him life in prison - not great prospects for him, right? 
The part that really gets me is how the judge had to basically use hypotheticals to decide whether these stalking charges could stick. Like, what even is the point of that? It feels like there's some kind of loophole that's letting Mangione off easy.
anyway good for mangione im guess he dodged a bullet but still 2 life sentences is no joke either way cant wait for the state charges to play out maybe he'll get what's coming to him 
u can't even believe this!!! Luigi Mangione almost got the death penalty but the judge saved him lol 
so now he's gonna face life in prison without parole or like 2 yrs or smthn... who cares rn, idk why he did what he did anyway. I'm still shook btw that the prosecutor's team thought they could take down Luigi 
but the judge was all "nah, bruh" 
. And let's be real, it's not like this judge was just swayed by Mangione's lawyers' arguments 
. She had to consider all the factors and follow the law as best she could. I get why prosecutors are upset, but come on, we've gotta keep the system fair 
.
.