Luigi Mangione’s lawyers may have found a way to get the accused out of one of the most serious charges he faces.
Mangione has previously pleaded not guilty to the charges he is facing involving the death of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.
On December 4, 2024, the healthcare boss was shot and killed after stepping out of his hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Authorities quickly deduced that this was a ‘targeted attack’ and a manhunt got underway for the culprit. Mangione was found less than a week later and was charged.
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He pleaded not guilty to the federal charges of stalking, firearm offences and murder.
The 27-year-old is facing two murder cases, one for state charges and another for federal charges. His lawyers have asked to have the federal case first.
This is because the federal case carries the potential of a death sentence.
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However, according to reports, Mangione’s lawyers may have found a way to prevent the suspect suffering the death penalty if he is found guilty.
On Saturday (October 11) his lawyers asked a New York federal judge to dismiss some of the criminal charges, including the only count that would see him potentially face the death penalty.
The papers, filed in Manhattan federal court, state prosecutors should not be allowed to use his statements given to police, as he was allegedly not read his Miranda rights. They cite police bodycam footage as evidence.
It also stated that his backpack, where the gun was found, should not be used as evidence in court because police allegedly did not have a warrant to search it, and this would ultimately be violating his rights.
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Mangione's lawyers argued the federal charges against him should be dropped as the federal murder charge relies on a murder being committed with a firearm as part of other 'crimes of violence'.
They say there isn't enough evidence Mangione did commit other 'crimes of violence', with him only being accused of stalking alongside the killing, which doesn't qualify.
So far, a judge has already dismissed two criminal counts against Mangione.
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Judge Gregory Carro in Manhattan last month dismissed the two terror-related charges, including murder in the first degree in a furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism.
The reasoning given by the judge is that they are ‘legally insufficient’
His legal team argued that the terror-related charges should be pulled since New York state legislation defines terrorism as attacks on multiple civilians, not the killing of a single person.
While there has been much talk of the trial concerning Mangione, his trial is not set to take place until at least 2026 as prosecutors have said they have 3 terabytes worth of data to go through.
Topics: News, US News, Luigi Mangione
Gerrard Kaonga