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Federal judge in NYC spares Luigi Mangione the death penalty, drops murder and firearm charges
By
Samantha Max
and
Walter Wuthmann
Published Jan 30, 2026
Modified Jan 30, 2026
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Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images
By
Samantha Max
and
Walter Wuthmann
Published Jan 30, 2026
Modified Jan 30, 2026
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A Manhattan judge dismissed the most serious federal charges against Luigi Mangione, sparing him the possibility of the death penalty, according to a ruling issued Friday morning.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said in her decision that Mangione will still face two federal stalking charges, which each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. But she is dismissing murder and firearms charges. The practical effect of her decision, she wrote, will be “solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment.”
After a conference in federal court Friday morning, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said she and her client were “very relieved” that capital punishment was no longer an option.
“I just want to thank the court for this incredible decision,” she said, adding that she was also grateful to all of Mangione’s supporters for coming to court and sending him letters.
In a separate ruling Friday, Garnett denied Mangione’s request to prevent prosecutors from using the contents of a backpack seized during his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Mangione’s lawyers have argued local police illegally searched the backpack and should not be allowed to show jurors what they found at trial. A deputy chief from the Altoona Police Department testified at a hearing last week, and Garnett said he convinced her local law enforcement followed proper protocols when they searched Mangione’s bag.
Federal prosecutors charged Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel in December 2024. Mangione also faces state charges in Manhattan, including murder. Justice Gregory Carro dismissed two terrorism-related charges in the state case last September, meaning judges in both state and federal court have now thrown out the most severe charges against Mangione. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Mangione’s defense attorneys asked Garnett last year to dismiss the murder and firearms charges on a legal technicality. They said federal prosecutors could only pursue those charges if they were also accusing Mangione of other violent crimes, and argued the stalking charges didn’t meet the legal criteria.
At a hearing earlier this month, prosecutors and defense attorneys spent nearly three hours arguing over whether the charges should stand, with Garnett frequently cutting in to ask questions.
The judge in her decision Friday noted the “absurdity” of the defense’s request, saying “[n]o one could seriously question” whether Mangione is accused of violent criminal conduct.
“The defendant is charged with selecting a stranger to be killed based on his employment, carefully planning the killing, including identifying where and when the selected victim would be most vulnerable; traveling across multiple states to carry out that killing; and then gunning the victim down on a public street in Midtown Manhattan, using a handgun equipped with a silencer,” she wrote.
But she said Supreme Court decisions over the past couple decades have changed how judges are supposed to assess these types of legal questions, forcing her to ignore Mangione’s alleged actions. Instead, she said, she had to focus on hypothetical scenarios to figure out whether the stalking charges should be considered violent crimes.
The judge criticized this approach, saying it can lead to “questionable results that defy common sense,” but said she was “duty bound” to follow Supreme Court precedent.
In a 39-page ruling densely packed with legal analysis, Garnett said prosecutors failed to establish that the stalking charges should be considered violent crimes. She said some of prosecutors’ arguments to establish that Mangione’s stalking charges qualify as a violent crime make “little practical sense” and clash with the law’s logic.
Mangione appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday in handcuffs and wearing short-sleeve prison khakis. He frequently conferred with his lawyers but did not speak publicly or visibly react to the dismissal of the capital charges.
The hearing came the morning after federal prosecutors said a man impersonating an FBI agent showed up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn with a pizza cutter and barbecue fork saying he had papers ordering Mangione’s release.
Garnett said prosecutors have until Feb. 27 to decide whether they’ll appeal her decision to dismiss the counts.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. Garnett urged both sides to keep to the court’s schedule.
“At present, this is not a capital case,” she said.
Clarification: This story has been edited to clarify what the judge said is the effect of her decision to drop the charges.
Tagged
manhattan
new york state
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Walter Wuthmann
Walter Wuthmann is a reporter covering public safety and the legal system.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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