Luigi Mangione's federal trial further delayed to January 2027
Luigi Mangione's federal trial in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been further delayed, with a judge on Thursday pushing it to January 2027.
Mangione's federal trial is now set to begin with jury selection on Jan. 5, 2027, and opening statements on Jan. 25, 2027.
The move comes a day after changes to the starts of both his federal and state trials.
Hours after U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett initially pushed back the federal trial from September to October, his state trial was pushed back from June to September.
Judge Gregory Carro, the judge in the state case, gave no reason for delaying the start to Sept. 8, but the defense had been requesting it.
In initially delaying the federal trial, Garnett said during a hearing on Wednesday, "Whether we like it or not, we are somewhat at the mercy of events in the state case," noting that, at that time, Mangione's state trial was scheduled for June 8.
"What is happening at 100 Centre [the state courthouse] inevitably affects how we structure things here so the defendant can get a fair trial," Garnett said.
Garnett said she did not want to be "held hostage" by the state prosecution, but she said she had "some pause" about the "utility" of having potential jurors fill out questionnaires in the glare of the state trial.
"There's really no way around taking into account the events in the state case involving the same defendant," Garnett said.
Mangione, 27, pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges after he was arrested for allegedly gunning down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024.
He faces the possibility of life in prison if he's convicted in either case. Garnett previously threw out the federal charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty and Carro previously tossed out an enhancement to the state murder charges that said Mangione's alleged conduct amounted to terrorism.
