He has pleaded not guilty in that case too.<\/p>\n
In order to seek the death penalty, prosecutors were required to show Mangione killed Mr Thompson while committing another “crime of violence”.<\/p>\n
Judge Garnett said stalking did not fit that definition, citing case law and legal precedents.<\/p>\n
She noted her decision to dismiss the federal murder charge was to “foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury”.<\/p>\n
The ruling was a setback for the Trump administration, which had called Mr Thompson’s death a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination”.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have 30 days to appeal the ruling.<\/p>\n
Judge Garnett also ruled that prosecutors would be able to use evidence collected from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest, which included a 9mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities said Mangione described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mangione’s lawyers had sought to dismiss that evidence from trial, arguing the search was illegal because police had not yet obtained a warrant.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n \n Moments before Luigi Mangione’s arrest\n <\/p>\n Mr Thompson was killed on 4 December 2024 as he walked to a New York City hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.<\/p>\n Video footage showed a masked gunman shooting the 50-year-old from behind.<\/p>\n Police said the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, an apparent reference to a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.<\/p>\n Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, was arrested five days later in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n After several days of court proceedings there, Mangione was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he is currently being held.<\/p>\n Jury selection in the federal case is scheduled to begin on 8 September.<\/p>\n The state trial has not been scheduled yet.<\/p>\n However, the Manhattan district attorney’s office sent a letter on Wednesday urging the judge in that case to set a trial date of 1 July.<\/p>\n Read more from Sky News:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/skynews-luigi-mangione-arrest_7106155.jpg\")
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Trump reveals his ‘great’ pick for US central bank boss<\/a>
ICE victim seen in earlier clash with agents in new footage<\/a><\/p>\n