Name: Luigi Mangiones lawyers fight to block death penalty
Uploaded: 2026-01-10T17:02:46.316Z
Duration: 3 min 4 s
Description: Luigi Mangione was back in court on Friday, where his lawyers worked to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty in his federal trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione pleaded not guilty in April 2025.

Luigi Mangione was back in court on Friday, where his lawyers worked to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty in his federal trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione pleaded not guilty in April 2025.

New York

Luigi Mangione, charged with the 2024 murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in federal court in Manhattan as his legal team argued against the possibility of the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal murder, stalking, and weapons charges, and his lawyers are seeking to have stalking charges dropped or ruled insufficient as grounds for capital punishment.

The judge has not yet decided whether to dismiss any charges, a decision that will determine if Mangione faces the death penalty under federal law. The next court date is scheduled for January 30, and jury selection is tentatively set for early September. The case remains under close public scrutiny.

Luigi Mangione's lawyers fight to block death penalty

A small group of demonstrators were outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan yesterday calling for the release of accused killer Luigi Mangione. As you recall, Mangione is charged in the 2024 murder of a health insurance CEO. The 27-year-old was in court as lawyers fight over whether he will face the death penalty. CBS News national correspondent Meg Oliver joins us with the latest in this closely watched murder trial. Meg, good morning. Adriana, good morning. Friday's hearing concerned only the federal charges against Mangione. He is still facing murder charges at the state level. He has pleaded not guilty to everything. The judge tentatively said jury selection will begin in early September in Mangione's murder trial. Luigi Mangione appeared in court dressed in a tan prison jumpsuit, legs shackled but hands free, a stark contrast to his more dapper looks in the past. The 27-year-old is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, on a New York City sidewalk in December of 2024. Richard Schoenstein is a trial lawyer. And what the federal government has done is they have charged Mangione with stalking, and they have said that is the crime of violence. And the defense is saying stalking is not necessarily a crime of violence. It is a crime, but it's not the kind of violent crime that would underlie the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal murder, stalking and weapons charges. His lawyers are trying to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty against him. If they can get the stalking charges dropped or establish that the stalking charges are not a predicate for the death penalty, then the defense can get the death penalty removed as a possible punishment in this case, and that would be huge. New York's death penalty was declared unconstitutional in 2004, but the ban applies in state, not federal cases. The defense is challenging the constitutionality of capital punishment. The lawyers are also arguing the evidence found inside Mangione's backpack during his arrest was taken without a warrant. I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of, that he looks like the CEO shooter. After Thompson was gunned down, a five-day manhunt ensued, capturing the nation's attention and tapping into widespread frustration with the health insurance industry. Someone called and said they thought you were suspicious. A tip finally led to Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the judge didn't rule on whether to dismiss any counts from the bench Friday, but her eventual decision will determine if Mangione faces the death penalty. The next court date is January 30th. So many people are watching this. Oh yeah. I mean, this is just going to be a really, really very, very incredibly interesting trial. So thanks for the fascination. Yeah.

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