New York Judge Gregory Carro dismissed two terror-related murder charges against Luigi Mangione during a court hearing in New York City on Tuesday, September 16.
Mangione, 27, has been accused of fatally shooting former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
Despite having his first-degree murder and second-degree murder charges dropped during the latest hearing, Mangione is still facing a count of murder in the second degree, according to CNN.
Following an April hearing, Mangione was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder, with prosecutors arguing he committed a terrorism crime, according to The Guardian.
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Mangione’s defense previously argued that the charges accusing him of being linked to a crime of terrorism should be tossed because crimes of terrorism in the eyes of New York state legislation refers to attacks on multiple civilians, according to CNN.
Since Mangione was only accused of killing Thompson, his legal team argued he shouldn’t be faced with the original charges.
“While the People place great emphasis on defendant’s ‘ideological’ motive, there is no indication in the statute that a murder committed for ideological reasons (in this case, the defendant’s apparent desire to draw attention to what he perceived as inequities or greed within the American health care system), fits within the definition of terrorism without establishing the necessary element of an intent to intimidate or coerce,” Carro wrote in his decision to dismiss the two terror-related charges, per CNN.
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Mangione still faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison if he is convicted of second-degree murder. Additionally, he will be tried in state court on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, per ABC News.
Mangione previously pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, according to NBC News.
CNN also reported that the recent ruling will not impact the federal murder case against Mangione, in which the Justice Department plans to seek the death penalty.
Following the hearing, Manhattan District Attorney spokesperson Alvin Bragg told CNN the office respected the court’s decision “and will proceed on the remaining nine counts.”
Mangione is next scheduled to appear in court on December 1, in which the judge will hold a hearing on the defense motion to suppress evidence.
