A court hearing in the state murder case against Luigi Mangione was postponed by one day after prosecutors neglected to notify the jail that he was needed in court, forcing a delay in what had been an anticipated ruling by the judge.
Judge Gregory Carro had set the hearing for Tuesday, but the proceeding was adjourned about half an hour after its scheduled start time when Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann informed the judge that the prosecution had failed to deliver the necessary paperwork to the jail.
“It’s on us,” Seidemann told the court. “We got the writ signed but we failed to serve it.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Judge Carro responded.
Seidemann pointed out that the judge overseeing Mangione’s federal case, Margaret Garnett, had issued an order to the jail allowing him to appear in court wearing a suit — but acknowledged that order alone was not sufficient to have him physically transported to the courtroom.
Mangione, 28, is currently held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn while he awaits trial in both state and federal proceedings stemming from the December 4, 2024, killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has entered not guilty pleas in both cases and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted in either.
Judge Carro had been expected to issue a ruling Tuesday on an unspecified matter following a closed hearing held two weeks prior. Carro sealed that virtual proceeding at the defense’s request but offered no further explanation at the time. Any ruling from the judge will now be issued Wednesday.
Mangione’s state trial is scheduled to begin September 8, while his federal trial — which includes stalking charges — is set to get underway October 13.
Thompson, 50, was shot and killed as he walked toward a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman firing at him from behind. Investigators say the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” were found written on the ammunition — a phrase commonly associated with tactics used by insurance companies to avoid paying out claims.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was taken into custody five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, roughly 230 miles — or about 370 kilometers — west of Manhattan.
At a hearing last month, Judge Carro ruled that both a firearm and a notebook found in connection with Mangione can be used as evidence at trial. Prosecutors say the weapon — a 3D-printed pistol — is consistent with the gun used to kill Thompson. The notebook, they say, contains writings about wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and references to fighting back against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.”
