Judge Dismisses Two of the Major Charges Against Luigi Mangione

(Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP)

A judge on Tuesday dismissed two state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the defendant who is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the street in New York City last year, including one charge of first-degree murder, the most serious charge against him.

Judge Gregory Carro said the evidence against Mangione was “legally insufficient,” The New York Times reported. The judge also tossed out a second-degree murder charge related to killing as an act of terrorism, ruling the killing of Thompson did not meet the legal definition of terrorism.

“While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the healthcare 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,” Carro wrote, per NBC News.

The two state charges were swiftly dropped against Mangione when the 27-year-old appeared in Manhattan court on Tuesday. He still faces a second-degree murder charge stemming from the December 2024 shooting, among several other state and federal charges.

Beyond New York state, Mangione is also facing charges related to illegally owning a gun and forgery in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested after a five-day manhunt, as well as federal charges of murder through the use of a firearm, stalking, and using a silencer. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The University of Pennsylvania grad has received more than $1.5 million in contributions to his legal defense, NYT reported, after he became a poster boy for many who were angry at the healthcare industry following Thompson’s murder.

Judge Carro’s ruling on Tuesday was a hit to the prosecution being led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had brought 11  charges against Mangione initially. Bragg had said the terrorism charges were warranted, arguing the attack was a “frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”

Mangione’s federal trial is not expected to start until 2026.