Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a federal judge to dismiss the murder count that could lead to his execution if he were convicted of killing UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson.
Mangione’s lawyers said prosecutors are improperly seeking the death penalty by tying the murder to another crime of violence. The crime they charged, stalking, doesn’t require the intentional use of force and shouldn’t trigger the possibility of capital punishment, Mangione’s lawyers argued in a court filing early Saturday.