U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett ruled Friday that the murder charge through use of a firearm — the only count that could have carried a capital sentence — was legally incompatible with the remaining interstate stalking charges against Mangione.
Stalking
She also dismissed a related firearms offense, leaving Mangione facing two counts of stalking, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole if he is convicted.
The decision, issued in a 39-page opinion, represents a significant setback for federal prosecutors, who had sought the death penalty in what they described as a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America."
Garnett acknowledged that her ruling might seem "tortured and strange" to the public but said she was bound by Supreme Court precedents, which do not classify stalking as a "crime of violence" sufficient to support the murder charge under federal law.
"Delay, deny, depose"
Mangione, 27, is accused of fatally shooting Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, as the executive walked to a hotel in midtown Manhattan for UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference.
Authorities say the ammunition used in the attack was inscribed with the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" — a phrase critics often use to describe tactics employed by health insurers to avoid paying claims.
Mangione, a former Ivy League student and software engineer, was arrested days later in Pennsylvania after a nationwide manhunt.
The case has drawn widespread attention, sparking debates over healthcare inequities, vigilantism and the U.S. justice system's handling of corporate accountability.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges.
In New York state court, where he faces separate murder charges, the death penalty was never an option because the state abolished capital punishment in 2007.
The federal case, however, allowed prosecutors to pursue it under the administration's push for harsher penalties in high-profile violent crimes.
In a separate ruling Friday, Garnett sided with prosecutors by deeming Mangione's backpack and its contents — including writings critical of the healthcare industry — admissible as evidence.
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 12, following jury selection in September, though prosecutors could appeal the dismissal of the charges.
"A check on overreach in capital cases"
Legal experts say the decision could have broader implications for how federal prosecutors structure cases involving stalking and firearms.
It may influence similar high-stakes prosecutions, such as the case against Vance Boelter in the politically motivated killings of Minnesota lawmakers, where the government might seek the death penalty.
Critics of the ruling argue it undermines justice for Thompson's family, while supporters view it as a check on overreach in capital cases.
Public reaction on social media has been mixed, with some expressing relief that Mangione avoids execution and others decrying the outcome as too lenient.
The case continues to highlight tensions in America's healthcare system, where Thompson's death became a symbol for frustrations over insurance denials.
Mangione remains in custody without bail. His attorneys declined to comment on the ruling.
Source: DPN, Media, Agencies, Staff, AI, January 31, 2026
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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