The trial in the state of New York against Luigi Mangione, accused of the shooting death in December 2024 of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, will not begin next September 8 as planned, while a defense request to dismiss the case is resolved.
Judge Gregori Carro did not formally postpone the trial, but ordered the Manhattan prosecutors to respond by October 9 to the petition filed by Mangione’s lawyers, who argue that the state process violates the prohibition against being tried twice for the same crime.
According to CNN, the magistrate also set a new hearing for December 10. In practice, the trial cannot continue until there is a resolution regarding the motions raised by the defense.
Mangione’s lawyers, 28 years old, argue that the proceedings opened in the state and federal jurisdictions involve double jeopardy for the same facts.
“It was a single tragic event, yet (Mangione) is being prosecuted twice for the same conduct,” said his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo this Friday.
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The defense also accused the state and federal prosecutors of having coordinated their actions “to maximize the punitive effectiveness of both cases at the expense of Mr. Mangione.”
According to their lawyers, both parties had reached an agreement to allow the state process to proceed first. “This coordinated agreement between them had a specific purpose: the plan was designed solely to ensure two successive prosecutions, in order to try to avoid protection against double jeopardy,” the document states.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, meanwhile, has so far maintained its intention to continue with the state process and defend its position against the double jeopardy arguments, as well as reiterate its commitment to seek justice for Thompson’s family.
The next hearing was scheduled for eight days before Mangione is sentenced on the federal charges, a process in which he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
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