On September 16, 2025, a Manhattan courtroom was the scene of a legal drama that has captured national attention and sparked heated debate about the intersection of political violence, the health insurance industry, and the boundaries of terrorism law. Judge Gregory Carro dismissed terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old Ivy League graduate accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024. However, the judge let stand a second-degree murder charge, ensuring Mangione’s legal battle is far from over.
The case has been anything but ordinary. Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, is not only facing state murder charges but is also at the center of a parallel federal prosecution where the death penalty is on the table. The state and federal cases, each with their own legal theories and stakes, have created what Mangione’s defense team calls a “legal quagmire,” making it “legally and logistically impossible to defend against them simultaneously,” according to statements cited by AP News and ABC News.
Judge Carro’s decision was rooted in a careful reading of New York law. In his written ruling, he acknowledged the gravity of the crime but drew a sharp distinction between ideologically motivated violence and terrorism as defined by state statute. "While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to 'intimidate and coerce a civilian population,' and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal," he wrote, as reported by ABC News and the Associated Press.
Carro further noted that “there isn’t any doubt that Thompson’s killing last December was no ordinary street crime,” but emphasized that New York law does not consider an act terrorism simply because it’s motivated by ideology. He found insufficient evidence that Mangione intended to intimidate a civilian population or influence government policy by coercion. The judge also pointed out that federal prosecutors, despite having their own terrorism statutes, had not charged Mangione with terrorism offenses.
The charges that remain are significant. Mangione is still facing a second-degree murder charge, which requires prosecutors to prove he intended to kill Thompson in a premeditated and calculated manner. This charge carries a potential penalty of 15 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. In addition to murder, Mangione will be tried in state court on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, four counts in the third degree, one in the fourth degree, and one count of possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, according to ABC News.
The events that led to this high-profile prosecution unfolded in dramatic fashion. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman—later identified as Mangione—shooting Thompson from behind as the executive arrived at the New York Hilton Midtown for an investor conference. Police reported that the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, a pointed reference to tactics allegedly used by insurers to avoid paying claims.
Following a five-day manhunt, Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles from New York City. He was found carrying a backpack containing the alleged murder weapon, a fake ID, and a red notebook that prosecutors say served as his diary. In it, Mangione wrote, “I finally feel confident about what I will do. The target is insurance. It checks every box.” Prosecutors highlighted these writings, along with Mangione’s praise for Ted Kaczynski, the notorious Unabomber, as evidence of his intent to send a message to the healthcare industry.
The defense, meanwhile, has pushed back on multiple fronts. They argued that the search of Mangione’s backpack was unlawful due to a lack of a warrant and have challenged the state’s ability to prosecute him in tandem with federal charges. On the question of double jeopardy, Judge Carro ruled the argument was premature, as neither case has yet gone to trial. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Alvin Bragg, maintains that the state and federal prosecutions involve different legal theories and therefore do not violate double jeopardy protections.
In federal court, the stakes are even higher. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty for what she described as “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” The federal charges allege that Mangione stalked Thompson and murdered him through the use of a firearm but do not include terrorism allegations.
Support for Mangione has grown in unexpected quarters. He has become something of a cause célèbre among critics of the health insurance industry, with dozens of supporters attending his hearings, many dressed in green—the color associated with the Luigi video game character. At Tuesday’s hearing, three rows of Mangione’s supporters filled the courtroom, and a rally erupted outside when news of the dismissed terrorism charges broke. One supporter even sported a “FREE LUIGI” T-shirt, according to AP News.
Prosecutors had hoped to use Mangione’s diary as a linchpin for the terrorism charges. The writings, which they sometimes described as a manifesto, “convey one clear message: that the murder of Brian Thompson was intended to bring about revolutionary change to the healthcare industry,” prosecutors argued in a June filing. Mangione’s confession, addressed “To the feds,” included the chilling line, “it had to be done.” But Judge Carro was unconvinced that these writings met the legal threshold for terrorism, noting the difficulty of defining terrorism and cautioning against stretching “the import of a two-word phrase beyond what it can carry.”
Amid the legal wrangling, Mangione’s defense scored another victory: Judge Carro granted their request to block prosecutors from using materials subpoenaed from Mangione’s healthcare provider, Aetna, due to concerns over potential HIPAA violations. Prosecutors argued that the information obtained was limited and unremarkable, but the judge sided with the defense, further complicating the prosecution’s case.
As the legal process grinds forward, Mangione remains held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, sharing a facility with other high-profile inmates. His next pretrial hearing in the state case is set for December 1, 2025, just days before he is due in federal court. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania authorities are seeking his appearance on separate charges of forgery and providing false identification.
The case against Luigi Mangione is a tangle of legal, political, and social threads—each tugged by passionate advocates on all sides. While the dismissal of terrorism charges narrows the focus, the questions swirling around Mangione’s motives, the reach of terrorism statutes, and the role of ideology in violent crime remain unresolved. For now, the eyes of the nation—and especially those within the healthcare industry—remain fixed on the unfolding courtroom battle.
