New York: A judge on Tuesday dismissed terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in New York state’s case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but he kept the state’s second-degree murder charges against him.
In a written decision, Judge Gregory Carro said that although there is no doubt that the killing was not an ordinary street crime, New York law doesn’t consider something terrorism simply because it was motivated by ideology.
Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan state court in New York on Tuesday.Credit: AP
“While the defendant 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,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal,” Carro wrote.
The judge scheduled pretrial hearings in the case for December 1, which is days before Mangione is next due in court in the federal case against him.
It was Mangione’s first court appearance in the state case since February, and he wore beige prison clothes, handcuffs and shackles. The 27-year-old Ivy League graduate has attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations with the health insurance industry. Dozens of his supporters showed up to his last hearing, many wearing the Luigi video game character’s green colour as a symbol of solidarity. His April arraignment in the federal case and Tuesday’s hearing in state court drew a similar outpouring.
On Tuesday, one fan in the courtroom wore a shirt saying “FREE LUIGI.” Outside, some supporters who gathered across the street from the courthouse cheered and clapped as news of the dropped terrorism charges spread.
Members of the public, including a woman wearing a “Free Luigi” shirt, enter a courtroom before Luigi Mangione is escorted into the courtroom.Credit: AP
Mangione earlier pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the December 4, 2024, killing. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind as he arrived for an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione was arrested five days later after he was spotted eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 370 kilometres west of New York City. Since then, he has been held at the same Brooklyn federal jail where Sean “Diddy” Combs is locked up.
