Luigi Mangione escapes federal death penalty after federal prosecutors decline to appeal judge's ruling
Federal prosecutors say they will not appeal a judge's ruling that tossed capital punishment charge against accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer
By Louis Casiano Fox News
Published February 27, 2026 7:27pm EST
Luigi Mangione has escaped the death penalty.
The accused killer's life will be spared after federal prosecutors said Friday they will not appeal a judge's ruling to quash capital punishment against him.
In a letter, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District said it accepts U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett‘s Jan. 30 decision to dismiss a death penalty-eligible murder charge against Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson Dec. 4, 2024.
Despite not being tried on murder charges, Mangione still faces two federal stalking charges.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. Opening statements will begin in October.
Mangione, 27, also faces life in prison at a separate murder trial in state court slated to begin in June. He has pleaded not guilty to Thompson's killing.
To charge Mangione with the federal count of murder through use of a gun, prosecutors need an underlying crime of violence, Garnett said in her January ruling.
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