Judge delays Mangione's state trial after defendant pleads guilty in federal case

A New York state judge on Monday delayed Luigi Mangione's state trial until December after the defendant pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges last week.

Mangione's defense team moved to dismiss his New York case after their client pleaded guilty to federal charges, citing the state's double jeopardy law because the charges stem from the same incident. However, the charges in the cases differ.

The New York judge said Monday that the state trial has been delayed until Dec. 10, which will allow time for both legal teams to litigate the motion to dismiss. The judge asked prosecutors to respond to the defense's motion to dismiss by Oct. 9, and gave the defense until Oct. 30 to reply, according to CBS News.

Mangione, who was not charged with murder in the federal case but was charged with second-degree murder in state court, admitted to the federal judge last week that he shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year.

"I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death of bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal," he said. 

Mangione will be sentenced in the federal case on Dec. 18, and he faces up to life in prison.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.