A judge dismissed two criminal counts against Luigi Mangione in a New York courtroom today in relation to the 2024 murder of United Healthcare’s CEO.
Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December last year. He denied murder as well as stalking and firearm charges.
About 40 Mangione supporters gathered outside Manhattan Criminal Court before his hearing, holding ‘Free Luigi’ signs and chanting, ‘One struggle one fight, healthcare is a human right.’
The crowd cheered when they heard that the judge dismissed two criminal counts against Mangione.
Shortly afterwards, Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Agnifilo, appeared outside the courthouse alongside her team and smiled at the supporters.
‘Thank you, Karen!’ the crowd shouted.
Today’s decision means Mangione will only face a second-degree murder charge, rather than the terror charges brought upon him by the state.
Mangione’s lawyers argued that the New York charges and federal charges amounted to double jeopardy.
Justice Gregory Carro set Mangione’s next hearing date for December 1.
A second-degree murder charge means that the killer did not have any premeditation before the crime, and was likely trying to cause harm, rather than death.
First-degree murder means someone kills with the intent to end another’s life, with premeditation and planning.
Dozens of his supporters attended his last hearing, many wearing the Luigi video game character’s green color as a symbol of solidarity.
Abril Rios told Metro: ‘I’m here today to support Luigi, but also to be with my fellow supporters out here.
‘We believe he’s been grossly overcharged. Today’s news has been a long time coming.
‘It was electric today. Something just felt different; it felt very positive. I think we’re all going to go to bed a little happier tonight.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Discover more from USNewsRank
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.