NEW YORK (AP) — Accused killer Luigi Mangione will stand trial in federal court in Manhattan early next year after a judge on Monday set a January 2027 trial date.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said jury selection will begin Jan. 5, with opening statements scheduled for Jan. 25. Garnett said she had hoped to hold the federal trial this fall, but Mangione’s separate state murder trial, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, makes that timeline “impossible.”
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2025 before fleeing the scene. He was arrested several days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after authorities said a McDonald’s employee recognized him and alerted police.
Federal prosecutors have charged Mangione with murder through the use of a firearm, stalking and firearms offenses. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty if he is convicted on the federal murder charge.
Mangione also faces New York state charges, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty to both the federal and state charges.
The state case is scheduled to go to trial first in September, followed by the federal trial beginning in January.