Luigi Mangione will be in a New York City federal courtroom Wednesday as his lawyers push for his federal trial to be delayed.

His lawyers will ask for the start of his federal trial on interstate stalking charges to be postponed. Mangione is being tried in state and federal court for the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

The defense says the delay is needed because they are representing Mangione in multiple cases at the same time.

Judge Margaret Garnett set a Sept. 8 trial date for the federal case with opening statements on Oct. 13. Meanwhile, the judge in the state trial set a June 8 date.

Mangione’s lawyers previously said the state trial is too soon because they need the rest of the year to prepare for the federal trial. 

Federal murder charge dropped

Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge in January that enabled prosecutors to seek capital punishment. She also threw out a gun charge, but left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The state charges also carry the possibility of life in prison.

Mangione spoke out against the prospect of back-to-back trials at a recent hearing. 

“It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition,” he told the state judge.

Legal expert Rich Schoenstein, who isn’t affiliated with the case, said it’s not double jeopardy because Mangione isn’t being prosecuted in two different courts.

“If he goes to trial in one of these courts and then a jury is sworn in in another court, that is a potential double jeopardy situation, but he’s not subject to double jeopardy yet,” Schoenstein said.  

Federal prosecutors said they won’t appeal the judge’s ruling that bars them from seeking the death penalty. 

Mangione accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO

Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, while walking to a midtown Manhattan hotel for a UnitedHealth Group conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him in the head from behind. 

Police said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, was arrested five days later after he was spotted eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of the city.

He is also facing multiple lower-level charges in Pennsylvania tied to his arrest, including possession of an unlicensed gun and forgery. 

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