Luigi Mangione State Terrorism Charges Dismissed By Judge In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing Case

A New York state judge has dismissed two terrorism-related charges against defendant Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, including one count of first-degree murder. Mangione appeared in court on Sept. 16, where Judge Gregory Carro threw out charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, according to court records obtained by NBC News. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office responded to the decision in a statement, saying they “respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree.” NBC News reports that Judge Carro deemed the state terrorism charges “legally insufficient,” writing in his ruling that “there is no indication in the statute that a murder committed for ideological reasons (in this case, the defendant’s apparent desire to draw attention to what he perceived as inequities or greed within the American health care system), fits within the definition of terrorism, without establishing the necessary element of an intent to intimidate or coerce.” Mangione arrived at the hearing in shackles and a tan prison jumpsuit alongside his defense team. He has been behind bars since his December arrest following Thompson’s fatal shooting and pleaded not guilty to all state and federal charges in New York and Pennsylvania, where he was captured after a multi-day manhunt.