U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal murder charge against Mangione, finding it technically defective. Garnett stayed the stalking charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. State charges carry the possibility of life in prison.
He is due back in court later Friday morning for a case conference. His lawyers did not immediately comment on the decision, but may do so during or after the conference.
Jury selection in the federal case is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. A state trial has not yet been scheduled. The Manhattan district attorney’s office sent a letter Wednesday urging the judge in the case to set a July 1 trial date.
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed the masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say the ammunition was marked with “delay,” “reject” and “fold,” mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurance companies avoid paying claims.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. Following Trump’s campaign pledge to vigorously pursue the death penalty, Attorney General Pam Bondi last April ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to seek the death penalty for Mangione.
It was the first time the Justice Department sought the death penalty in President Donald Trump’s second term. He returned to office a year ago with a promise to restore federal executions after they were halted under his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
Garnett, a Biden appointee, made the decision after a flurry of court filings by the prosecution and defense in recent months. She held oral arguments in the matter earlier this month.
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