Luigi Mangione terrorism charges tossed out in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione won a significant legal ruling Tuesday when a judge dismissed the two most serious state charges against him—first-degree murder and second-degree murder—both of which prosecutors had sought to classify as terrorism offenses.

Mangione still faces a separate second-degree murder charge, along with a federal murder charge, in connection with the killing of United HealthCare executive Brian Thompson last December.

Judge Gregory Carro, who is presiding over the state case, said the evidence was “legally insufficient” to support the terrorism-linked murder counts. In a written decision released during a brief 15-minute hearing in Manhattan court, Carro stated:

“Counts one and two, charging [the] defendant with murder in the first degree (in furtherance of an act of terrorism) and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, are dismissed as legally insufficient. The people presented legally sufficient evidence of all other counts, including murder in the second degree (intentional).”

In addition to the murder charges, Mangione faces federal allegations that he fatally shot Thompson outside a hotel, as well as weapons possession charges.

His defense team had argued the case should be thrown out under double jeopardy, contending that prosecuting him in both state and federal court amounted to being tried twice for the same crime. Carro rejected that claim, citing a Supreme Court precedent holding that state and federal governments are “two sovereigns,” meaning “where there are two sovereigns, there are two laws, and two offenses.”