A surprise hearing has jolted the closely watched case of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024. Federal prosecutors and Mangione’s lawyers jointly asked for an unscheduled session Friday in Manhattan federal court, fueling talk of a possible plea deal in the federal stalking case that could ripple into the separate state murder case set for trial Sept. 8, the Guardian reports. Sources tell ABC News that a plea deal was also discussed before a June hearing, but no deal was reached.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. New York prosecutors have already warned that a federal plea could undercut their case and urged a tough sentence if it happens. Last year, New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro, the judge in the state case, said defense lawyers’ double jeopardy arguments were “premature,” but they could raise the issue if there was a plea deal in the federal case, ABC reports. The maneuvering follows an aborted plan by Mangione’s team to mount a psychiatric defense in the state murder trial. On Tuesday, Carro ruled that the jury will remain anonymous.