New York judge indefinitely postpones murder trial over double jeopardy plea

A New York state judge has indefinitely postponed the murder trial of Luigi Mangione, postponing what was scheduled to be a high-profile September proceeding amid a legal dispute over double jeopardy following the defendant’s recent federal guilty plea. The development delays the case as a Manhattan court considers whether the state prosecution can continue alongside the resolved federal case stemming from the same killing.

Judge Gregory Carro issued an order on August 17, 2026, canceling the state trial that had been set to begin on September 8. The order came less than a week after Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court to interstate stalking and cyberstalking charges related to the December 4, 2024, fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Immediately after that plea, Mangione’s defense attorneys filed a motion seeking to dismiss the state charges, arguing they violate New York’s statutory double jeopardy protections.

The core of the legal battle centers on New York state law, which in some cases prohibits prosecuting someone separately for offenses arising from the same criminal transaction, even if one case is federal. Mangione’s lawyers contend that...