Luigi Mangione in court to challenge death penalty request

Luigi Mangione appeared in federal court seeking to block prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson; the judge did not set a trial date.

Luigi Mangione returned to federal court for a hearing aimed at preventing federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His lawyers argued that public statements by officials and extensive publicity prejudiced the case and urged the judge to exclude evidence seized during his arrest. Prosecutors countered that the murder charge is legally sufficient and that concerns about publicity can be addressed during jury selection. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said she was not ready to set a trial date and indicated she was not inclined to hold a separate evidence hearing at this time. Key facts: - Brian Thompson was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, and Luigi Mangione was arrested days later; Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. - The defense asked the court to bar the government from seeking the death penalty and to exclude items recovered from a backpack at the time of arrest, which they say were seized without a warrant. - Federal prosecutors disputed the defense claims, saying the murder charge allows a death-penalty seeking and that pretrial publicity can be managed through juror questioning. - Judge Garnett did not set a trial date and said a separate, lengthy hearing on the evidence issue is unlikely; the next scheduling step is undetermined. Summary: The hearing centered on whether official statements and publicity prejudiced the case and on challenges to evidence seized at arrest. Undetermined at this time.