Luigi Mangione was in federal court Friday as the judge considered whether the death penalty could be pursued if he is convicted in the killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Mangione was last in a federal courtroom in April of 2025.
Mangione's attorneys are trying to get several counts thrown out. One of those is a murder charge that carries the possibility of a death penalty. They say the prosecutors' argument in support of the charge is not legally sound.
The hearing, which ran for close to four hours, involved theoretical discussions about stalking and intent and whether those contribute to this potential charge.
Prosecutors say Mangione stalked Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO, not only in-person that morning but also online. That's why they believe the charge needs to stick.
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There was also discussion about evidence similar to what we saw in December during a three-week suppression hearing in state court. Attorneys for Mangione are trying to get evidence thrown out, particularly related to his backpack and related to the journal that was found inside of the backpack. The defense offered to have similar hearings as to what we saw in December.
The judge did not make a decision as to whether or not these items will be thrown out. But she said she didn't necessarily see the need at this point for a suppression hearing.
Another hearing will take place in later in January to discuss more motions.
The judge has not yet decided on a trial date. At the end of the hearing, she did consider a proposal by the government that a non-death-penalty case should happen in the fall, and a death penalty case should happen in January of next year.
