Jan. 9 (UPI) — Accused murderer Luigi Mangione seeks the dismissal of two firearms charges filed against him, including one that could result in the death penalty if a jury finds him guilty.
Mangione, 27, appeared in the U.S. District Court for Southern New York in Manhattan on Friday, and his attorneys asked Judge Margaret Garnett to dismiss a charge accusing him of using a firearm to commit murder, which is punishable by death.
His attorneys also asked the court to dismiss a charge accusing him of using a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence.
He also is charged with stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death and interstate stalking resulting in death.
Mangione has argued that local police in Pennsylvania illegally searched his backpack when they found and seized the firearm allegedly used to shoot and kill former UnitedHealth Group Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson, 50, on a New York City sidewalk on Dec. 4, 2024.
Garnett suggested the search and seizure were done legally, but did not rule on the matter on Friday. Another hearing is scheduled on Jan. 30.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the four federal charges and likely will have jury selection for his federal trial start in September and the trial in December or January if the death penalty remains in the case, Garnett said during Friday’s hearing.
If the death penalty is excluded from the trial, it might start in the fall.
Mangione is charged with related crimes in state courts in New York and Pennsylvania, but only the federal case could result in the death penalty.
Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette, and two sons.
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