NEW YORK — A federal judge announced Monday that Luigi Mangione’s federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been pushed back to January, scrapping the previously planned fall schedule.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said the delay is necessary to allow Mangione’s defense attorneys to concentrate on his state murder trial, which is set to get underway on September 8.
According to Garnett, jury selection in the federal case will now kick off on January 5 rather than the originally scheduled October 13 date. Opening statements and testimony are slated to begin January 25, replacing the former November 4 start date. The judge made the announcement during a hearing held in Manhattan.
Garnett also said she will keep the juror questionnaire under wraps until after the jury panel is selected, warning that having it circulate online for months ahead of jury selection “would only make what promises to be a difficult task more difficult.”
The hearing got off to a late start after Mangione became stuck in a courthouse elevator. He was eventually escorted into the courtroom by two deputy U.S. Marshals, appearing somewhat amused by the situation. Upon entering, he briefly looked out at the gallery, where roughly two dozen supporters had gathered.
Garnett acknowledged she had hoped with “undue optimism” to hold the federal trial in the fall, but said “we can no longer wait to see what happens” with the state case. “In my view it’s simply impossible to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied by conducting the state trial,” she said.
Mangione’s attorneys chose not to speak with reporters following the hearing.
Mangione has entered not guilty pleas to both state and federal charges stemming from the December 4, 2024 killing. A conviction in either case could result in a life prison sentence.
Dressed in a beige jail uniform, the 28-year-old Ivy League graduate appeared alert and engaged throughout Monday’s brief proceeding. He was seen watching the proceedings intently at times, with his fingers laced together and his chin resting on them.
Before the hearing began, Mangione spoke animatedly with his attorneys, Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, gesturing with his hands as he sat between them at the defense table.
The federal charges against Mangione allege he traveled across state lines by bus to stalk and kill Thompson, and that he used tools including a cellphone, the internet, and interstate highways, and stayed at a hostel catering to out-of-state guests while planning and executing the attack.
At a state court hearing in February, Mangione himself spoke out against facing two separate trials, telling the judge: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.” His lawyers had previously argued that consecutive trials on a tight timeline would infringe on his constitutional rights.
Thompson, 50, was shot and killed while walking toward a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Investigators say the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” were found on the ammunition — a reference to a phrase commonly associated with insurance companies avoiding claim payouts.
Mangione was taken into custody five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 230 miles west of Manhattan.
In January, Judge Garnett ruled that the death penalty would not be pursued in the federal case, but allowed prosecutors to use evidence recovered from Mangione’s backpack at the time of his arrest. That evidence included a 3D-printed handgun that investigators say matches the weapon used to kill Thompson, along with a notebook in which authorities allege Mangione wrote about his intention to “wack” an insurance executive.
Earlier this month, Mangione’s defense team announced plans to pursue a psychiatric defense in the state case — a strategy that would have centered on claims that he was experiencing extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the killing. However, they reversed that decision just one day later. That particular defense is not permitted in federal court.
Mangione has drawn a significant following among people frustrated with the health insurance industry. An online fundraiser for his legal defense has collected more than $1.5 million, and his court appearances have been met by groups of supporters, some sporting “FREE LUIGI” T-shirts and green clothing — a nod to the Mario Bros. video game character of the same name.
