FROM ABC NEWS: The federal charge that makes accused killer Luigi Mangione eligible for the death penalty must be dismissed because it does not meet the legal threshold, his defense attorneys argued in a new court filing.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that accuse him of shooting and killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024.
Federal prosecutors allege Mangione stalked Thompson in Manhattan, where the executive was due to attend an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown. Mangione allegedly waited for Thompson to pass by and then shot him at close range.
His lawyers said prosecutors should be prevented from using his statements to law enforcement officers at trial because Mangione wasn’t read his Miranda rights before he was questioned, and that anything he said after that should be inadmissible.
They also say the police search of Mangione’s backpack was without a warrant, which violated his Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful searches. Police found a gun and ammunition in the backpack.
“Altoona law enforcement failed to follow fundamental Fourth Amendment case law (and basic police procedure) by failing to obtain a search warrant before searching through Mr. Mangione’s backpack and the closed containers within the backpack,” the defense said.
The papers further argue that the death penalty charge should be dismissed because prosecutors have not provided proof of other offenses required to convict him.
In addition to the state’s charges against Mangione, prosecutors have added charges under a federal law on murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence,” which is the only charge Mangione may get the death penalty for since the punishment is not used in New York state.
The defense says Mangione’s the other alleged crime — stalking — is not a crime of violence.
“It is clear that, in its generic form, this crime can be committed without the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another,” the defense said in the filing.
LUIGI: Mangione’s federal motion to dismiss is in.
The defense argues that the stalking charges aren’t “crimes of violence” that back up for the murder and gun charges.
They also move to suppress the backpack evidence — similar to their arguments in the state case. pic.twitter.com/TTXY9PbSsG
— Erik Uebelacker (@Uebey) October 11, 2025
LEGAL FIGHT: Defense attorneys for Luigi Mangione have filed to drop charges, including one that carries the death penalty, in the UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination case. pic.twitter.com/caX8i1FnNj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 11, 2025
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