OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
4:09 PM – Friday, January 9, 2026
Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Friday with his legal team for a hearing seeking to block the federal government from pursuing the death penalty.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state murder charges, which carry the potential of life in prison.
Thompson, 50, was fatally shot on December 4, 2024, while walking to a Manhattan hotel for a conference, with surveillance footage capturing a masked gunman firing at him from behind.
Days after the fatal shooting, the 27-year-old Ivy League-educated suspect was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. At the time of his arrest, authorities reportedly discovered a 3D-printed “ghost gun,” a suppressor, and a handwritten manifesto in his possession — the latter of which condemned the American healthcare system as “parasitic.”
The case drew national attention, due to the victim’s high-profile status and the polarizing public response. Mangione has been charged with second-degree murder, as well as multiple federal offenses, including interstate stalking.
Mangione’s lawyers contend that the charge allowing the government to pursue the death penalty should be dismissed as legally flawed. They also argue that authorities sensationalized his case, turning his 2024 arrest into a “Marvel Movie” spectacle by publicly expressing a desire to see him executed before he was formally indicted.
Additionally, his defense team is seeking to exclude evidence recovered from his backpack, claiming the search violated the Fourth Amendment because it was conducted without a judicial warrant.
Among the contested items are a firearm that police say matches the one used to kill Thompson, and a notebook outlining a plan to target a health insurance executive.
Federal prosecutors pushed back, asserting that the murder charge is legally sound and that “pretrial publicity, even when intense,” rarely rises to a constitutional crisis. In a court filing, they wrote that concerns about public perception can be addressed by carefully questioning prospective jurors about what they know of the case.
Friday’s hearing marked Mangione’s first appearance in Manhattan federal court since his initial arraignment on April 25th, with U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett noting that she was not yet ready to set a trial date. Garnett also said she would not hold a separate hearing over evidence issues like those in last month’s three-week proceeding in Mangione’s state murder case.
A crowd of supporters gathered outside the courthouse wearing green, a nod to the Nintendo character “Luigi” from the Mario video game franchise. Protester signs reading “Free Luigi” and “No Death For Luigi Mangione” were also on display.
Mangione has already had a small victory in his state case, with a judge blocking state terrorism charges against him in September.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last year that she, along with federal prosecutors, intended to seek the death penalty for Mangione, maintaining that capital punishment was warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
The announcement prompted Mangione’s lawyers to argue that the decision was “based on politics, not merit.” They further contended that her remarks “tainted the grand jury process” that led to his indictment a few weeks later.
“Bondi’s statements and other official actions — including a highly choreographed perp walk that saw Mangione led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers, and the Trump administration’s flouting of established death penalty procedures — have violated Mr. Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case,” his lawyers said.
Nonetheless, federal prosecutors pushed back on Wednesday, calling the defense’s claims “meritless” and “misleading” and rejecting the argument that Bondi’s decision was influenced by her previous work as a lobbyist for a firm representing clients including UnitedHealthcare’s parent company.
Jury selection is slated to begin in September if the death penalty is not pursued, or in January 2027 if it is. The next hearing, set for January 30th, will include the judge’s rulings on outstanding motions.
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