NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Wednesday granted Luis Mangione only a slight delay of his federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, moving it from September to October instead of next year, as his lawyers had requested.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett based her decision on the timeline of Mangione’s state murder trial, which is scheduled to commence June 8 and is expected to last four to six weeks. She rejected a defense proposal to postpone the federal case until January or February 2027, asserting that this would merely shift the same issues from summer to fall.
Jury selection in the federal case will now begin on October 5, followed by opening statements on October 26. Garnett indicated that this schedule could change again if the state trial is delayed.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty and is facing the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted in either trial. Judge Garnett expressed skepticism at moving the federal trial to 2027 while the state trial stands unchanged, stating that the defense’s argument didn’t adequately resolve the complications posed by the state's schedule.
In her ruling, Garnett said, “There really is no way around taking into account the events in the state case.” She added that the backlog was difficult to manage and that it would be unwise to postpone the federal trial to a distant date.
Fifty-year-old Brian Thompson was fatally shot on December 4, 2024, as he approached a midtown Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Surveillance footage captured a masked assailant attacking from behind. In what investigators note as a troubling detail, the ammunition carried phrases like “delay” and “deny,” mocking common criticisms of insurance practices.
Mangione was apprehended five days later after being captured dining at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. His defense team claims that his subsequent arrest was mishandled, presenting it dramatically with armed officers and premature announcements of capital charges.
As of now, state laws concerning double jeopardy could complicate the proceedings, potentially affecting how Mangione’s cases will be handled simultaneously.
