What happened
A New York judge yesterday threw out state terrorism and first-degree murder charges against Luigi Mangione, the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year. The dismissal of the two most serious charges means Mangione, if convicted, faces up to life in state prison, but with the possibility of parole. In another high-profile murder case, Utah prosecutors yesterday said they would seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson for his alleged assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.
Who said what
Manhattan Judge Gregory Carro said the prosecutors could pursue the other nine charges against Mangione, including second-degree murder, but the terrorism charge was “legally insufficient.” While Mangione “was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’” Carro said.
The decision was a “blow to the district attorney,” Alvin Bragg, The New York Times said, but legal experts called the terrorism charge an “overreach.” Bragg’s office said it would not appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, Mangione, a “cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry, appeared in good spirits and raised his eyebrows at supporters” gathered outside the brief hearing, The Associated Press said.
What next?
Mangione also faces federal charges, including an “accusation for which prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty,” and state charges in Pennsylvania, where he was caught, the Times said. Carro scheduled a pretrial hearing for Dec. 1, days before Mangione’s next federal court hearing. Robinson’s next court day was set for Sept. 29.
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