Some Federal charges in Luigi Mangione case dismissed, he's no longer eligible for death penalty

[thewayne]

Interesting development here, and it's very strange. Honestly, I'm having a hard time understanding it.

The murder happened in 2024. Mangione allegedly shot down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare while he was walking into a shareholders meeting (IIRC). It takes some time to develop a case, and they especially want to get it right in a very high profile murder case such as this one. The case wasn't finished and presented to the grand jury during Biden's term, so it came to Pam Bondi's group to finish it up, get the indictment (maybe the indictment happened during Biden's term, I don't remember) and take it to court.

And it would appear that Bondi's group screwed up.

Mangione was charged with two counts of stalking, a weapons offense and murder through the use of a firearm. And, according to the judge, the Federal stalking charges are incompatible with the weapons offense and the murder charge, and she had to dismiss them. Thus he is no longer eligible for the Federal death penalty.

From the Australian News article: "US District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in Manhattan said she dismissed the federal murder and weapons charges because they were legally incompatible with the two counts of stalking Mr Mangione faces."

From USA Today, which helps further clarify things: "U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty against Mangione last year. At the time, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement that the federal charges were brought by a "lawless Justice Department" that made a "political" decision to pursue death.

In the order dismissing charges, Garnett wrote that the murder through the use of a firearm and weapons charges required the element that the murder was committed "during and in relation to" another federal crime that is considered a "crime of violence."

Those charges were made on the basis of the stalking charges, which Garnett ruled did not fit the legal definition of a "crime of violence," noting that the legal standard was counterintuitive to the average person."

He will still face murder charges in the State of New York, which, having dealt with organized crime and gang violence for a very long time, is quite good at building solid cases and getting convictions. That trial has not been scheduled, apparently they decided to let the Federal trial resolve first. New York State does not have a death penalty: their Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2004, in 2007 the State Legislature passed a law formally banning it. So it looks like life without parole is the longest sentence he could receive, whether it would be served in NY or at a federal pen would be a question yet to be resolved.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-31/luigi-mangione-murder-weapons-charges-dropped/106290600

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/30/luigi-mangione-murder-charge-death-penalty/88430898007/

Comments

[elayna]

That is very strange. I know legal standards can be very precise but I wouldn’t have thought they’d be counterintuitive to a normal person.

[ionelv]

Google AI tells me that death penalty can be sought by the feds if at least one aggravating factor also occurred:

Statutory Aggravating Factors: At least one of several factors must be proven, such as:
* Murder of a law enforcement officer or public official.
* Multiple murders committed at the same time.
* Killing to prevent testimony (witness tampering) or during a kidnaping/carjacking.
* Acts of terrorism or destruction of government property.
* High risk of danger to others or heinous, cruel, or depraved manner of killing.

I don’t think there were any aggravating factors so the govt simply overreached in seeking the death penalty.

[thewayne]

I really appreciate your addition, it was greatly clarifying and makes sense.  It also demonstrates the difference between Federal- and State-level crimes.

[silveradept]

This probably requires someone with the Juris Doctorate to untangle, but it sounds like the current office, the one that can't even get their indictments right and their grand jury matters handled, tried to make legally incompatible things all go together.

I think the world will likely judge the guilt or innocent of Mr. Mangione based on the state charges and trial, because the state is the only competent entity in this entire clown show.

[disneydream06]

Imagine Bondi screwing something up? :o :o :o

That said, I don't get it, if you stalk somebody, you can't murder them or am I not reading that correctly?
Hugs, Jon

[thewayne]

At the Federal level, yes.  Federal crimes are different than state crimes, at which level I think he has been indicted but not yet charged.