New York judge tosses 2 state murder charges related to act of terrorism against Luigi Mangione

Manhattan Judge Gregory Carro dismissed two murder charges related to acts of terrorism against Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the cold-blooded assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione has been in prison since his capture days after that murder in December 2024.

Carro said that "the evidence presented to the grand jury was insufficient to support the terrorism charge," per ABC. He "also tossed a second-degree murder charge, related to killing as an act of terrorism," the outlet reported.

In April, Mangione was charged with two counts of stalking, a firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm. He faces additional state charges in both New York and Pennsylvania and also could face the death penalty.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the remaining second-degree murder charge. His legal team sought the dismissal of the terrorism charges and to have evidence found at the time of his arrest suppressed. They also asked Carro to dismiss the New York state case.

Lawyers say that at the time Mangione was apprehended, they did not have a warrant for his arrest. Law enforcement had been engaged in a multi-state manhunt to track down the individual who stepped out onto a Manhattan street, shot Thompson, and fled.

That evidence included notebooks found by police at the time of Mangione's arrest at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald's. He had a fake ID along with a diary which included the message "I finally feel confident about what I will do. The target is insurance. It checks every box."

In the aftermath of Thompson's killing, it was revealed that Mangione had suffered from a back injury and had anger against health insurance companies.