Luigi Mangione, 27, isn’t happy. He spoke out in court on Friday, saying the state murder trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is “the same trial twice” and called it “double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
The judge scheduled the state trial to start on June 8—three months before Mangione’s federal trial begins. Mangione’s lawyers argued that preparing for both trials at the same time would be impossible.
“Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation,” said defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo. “The defense will not be ready on June 8.”
The judge replied, simply: “Be ready.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges, which could land him in prison for life. Last week, federal prosecutors were blocked from seeking the death penalty.
The controversy over the schedule comes as prosecutors and the defense argue about which trial should happen first. The state wants to start in June to avoid legal problems called “double jeopardy,” which could prevent a second trial for the same actions. Federal prosecutors had expected the state trial to happen first anyway.
Mangione isn’t expected back in state court until May, when the judge will decide if certain evidence can be used. That includes a 9 mm handgun linked to the killing and a notebook where prosecutors say Mangione described his plan to “wack” a health executive.
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot while walking to a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024. Surveillance video shows a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
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