Death Penalty Dropped In Luigi Mangione's Federal Trial, Judge Rules

NEW YORK CITY — Maryland native Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty in the December 2024 slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge ruled Friday morning.

Federal prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty in the murder case after Attorney General Pam Bondi directed them to do so in April 2025.

"I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again," Bondi said at the time.

Judge Margaret M. Garnett dismissed two of the four federal counts against Mangione: murder through use of a firearm, which carries a potential death sentence, and a related firearms offense, NBC News reported.

Mangione still faces two federal stalking counts, which carry a maximum prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Evidence seized from the backpack Mangione was wearing when he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, can be used at trial, the judge also decided. Authorities have said the backpack contained a ghost gun, fake IDs, a notebook and writings outlining the suspsect’s grievances against the private health care system.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple state and federal charges, including murder. In September 2025, a judge dropped two state terrorism charges against him.

The 27-year-old also faces charges in Pennsylvania for possessing an illegal gun and giving a fake ID to the police.

• Related: Prosecutors Want Luigi Mangione State Trial To Start This Summer

New York prosecutors want the state trial for Mangione, to begin this summer, months before he would stand trial in federal court.

Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro in a letter on Wednesday that there is an overriding interest in trying the state case first. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office asked for a trial start date of July 1.

“Federal law supports our request that we proceed first, and our right to a speedy resolution of this case would be severely compromised should the federal trial proceed first,” Seidemann wrote.

Prosecutors raised the scheduling issue days after Garnett scheduled jury selection in the federal case for Sept. 8, with the rest of the trial happening in October or January, depending on whether she allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty. That is no longer a factor in scheduling.