Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, let loose in court, screaming about double jeopardy after a judge scheduled his state murder trial for June 8, putting it three months ahead of the federal case, as reported by Court TV. Mangione, 27, was being escorted out of the courtroom when he erupted, shouting at the judge, “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
This isn’t just a simple scheduling conflict; it’s a high-stakes legal battle over which government gets to try him first. Judge Gregory Carro, who is overseeing the state case, set the June date after a lengthy discussion with both prosecution and defense teams. He did mention, however, that the state trial could be delayed until September 8 if the federal case gets tied up in appeals.
The rush for the state to go first is crucial because of New York law. If a jury is sworn in the federal case, or if Mangione enters a guilty plea there, the state’s double jeopardy protections would likely bar the Manhattan District Attorney’s office from trying him on state murder charges. Prosecutors really don’t want to lose that opportunity.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s located about 230 miles west of Manhattan in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann had urged Judge Carro to start the New York trial on July 1, arguing that any delay would “unfairly prejudice” the state’s interests. Judge Carro seemed frustrated by the situation, noting that it appeared the federal government had “reneged on its agreement to let the state, which has done most of the work in this case, go first.”
Mangione’s defense team is absolutely furious about the June date. Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued that the team would be too consumed preparing for the federal trial, which involves complex allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson before the killing. She stressed that “Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation,” calling the whole scheduling fight “a tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both the state and federal charges, both of which carry the possibility of life in prison. Though the stakes are high, the judge in the federal case did rule last week that prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty.
A lot of the upcoming legal wrangling will focus on key evidence. Prosecutors believe they have a 9 mm handgun that matches the murder weapon, along with a notebook where they claim Mangione wrote about his intention to “wack” a health insurance executive. The federal judge, Margaret Garnett, already ruled that the feds can use this evidence in their trial, which is set to begin jury selection on September 8.
Judge Carro, however, is expected to rule on whether the state can use those items during a hearing scheduled for May. Carro had previously thrown out state terrorism charges in September but kept the intentional murder charge intact.
Published: Feb 9, 2026 09:00 am