Prosecutors Drop Death Penalty Appeal in Mangione Case

Federal prosecutors in New York announced Friday that they will not appeal a judge's ruling dismissing death penalty-eligible charges against Luigi Mangione, ensuring he cannot face capital punishment in his upcoming federal trial for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione, 27, is accused of gunning down Thompson on December 4, 2024, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in an apparent targeted attack. The killing sparked widespread attention and prompted a multi-day manhunt that ended with Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges related to the incident.

In late January, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal murder count and a related firearms charge, ruling that they did not meet the legal requirements for capital punishment. The decision hinged on whether the underlying stalking charges qualified as a "crime of violence," a necessary element to support the death penalty. Garnett concluded that stalking did not satisfy that standard, even though prosecutors had argued otherwise. In her written opinion, the judge acknowledged the...