On Saturday, the legal team of Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson, launched a legal bid to have the one federal charge against him that could result in the death penalty dismissed.
Newsweek contacted Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
The case against Mangione is one of the most closely watched murder prosecutions in recent years. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 9 2024, five days after Thompson was gunned down on the street in New York City. Following his arrest, Mangione acquired an online fan base. Attorney General Pam Bondi described Thompson’s killing as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America” and is seeking the death penalty.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all state and federal charges.
What To Know
In the filing on Saturday to a New York federal court, Mangione’s legal team sought to get the federal “crimes of violence” charge against him, the only remaining charge he faces that carried the death penalty, dismissed. They argued prosecutors had failed to link Mangione with multiple “crimes of violence” insisting stalking, which he is also accused of, is not violent.
The filing also argued comments Mangione made to officers shortly after his arrest should be inadmissible in court as they were made before he was read his rights, and that evidence gathered from a search of his backpack, from which prosecutors say a gun and ammunition were recovered, was inadmissible as a search warrant had not been obtained first.
In September, Mangione’s legal team launched a separate bid to prevent him from facing the death penalty arguing his case had been prejudice by a “Marvel movie” style spectacle, including a perp walk by a Manhattan pier, created by law enforcement and by Bondi’s call for him to face capital punishment.
September also saw New York Judge Gregory Carro dismiss two terrorism charges against Mangione, on the basis that his alleged actions didn’t constitute terrorism under state law, but allowed a charge of second-degree murder to stand.
What People Are Saying
In the court filing, Mangione’s legal team wrote: “Count Three—the only death eligible count in the indictment – and Count Four must be dismissed for failure to state an offense because the stalking crimes charged in Courts One and Two (the predicators for Counts Three and Four) are not ‘crimes of violence,’ as would be required to convict Mr. Mangione on Counts Three and Four.”
They added: “Assuming the court finds the stalking statues indivisible, thus applying the ‘categorical approach’ when analyzing them, neither of the stalking statues, on their face, and as reflected in the model jury instructions, has an element requiring the use of threatened use of physical force. Thus, under the categorical approach, the inquiry should end there.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the federal charge of “crimes of violence” against Mangione will be dismissed.
