Both sides seek more preparation time for the highly publicized murder trial
The 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last month will likely not return to a federal courtroom until mid-February.
The indictment date was initially scheduled for Jan. 18, but after both parties agreed in a letter to the court, it was changed to Feb. 17. Before his federal indictment, Luigi Mangione was handed a criminal complaint detailing the charges against him.
On Wednesday, the prosecution and defense in the criminal case agreed to postpone court proceedings to give each party more time to prepare before trial. According to The Associated Press, prosecutors have said both cases will work on a “parallel track,” with the state trial predicted to begin first.
On Dec. 23, 2024, in a New York courtroom, Mangione entered a plea of not guilty to multiple state charges, including murder as an act of terrorism. Additionally, he faces federal charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department, including stalking and using a firearm to commit murder, with the death penalty as a potential outcome.
The state (New York) gets one chance to convict, and the feds get one chance to convict. This is a notable loophole to double jeopardy that has been the court precedent for a while.
The feds don’t have the jurisdiction to try regular old murders; there has to be some kind of angle that makes it a federal question. In this case, I think their using an alleged interstate bus trip as the hook for federal jurisdiction.
Yeah he was born in Baltimore so makes a lot of sense