New York State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro dismissed terrorism charges Tuesday against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old defendant accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December.
The ruling eliminates the most severe charges in the state’s case, which carried a mandatory sentence of life without parole, but Mangione still faces a second-degree murder charge and a separate federal death penalty prosecution.
Justice Carro found the evidence presented by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office “legally insufficient” to support the terrorism enhancement.
The prosecution had argued that the daylight shooting in Midtown Manhattan was calculated to create a spectacle and intimidate the healthcare industry, calling it “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
However, Carro’s written decision emphasized that New York’s terrorism statute—passed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks—requires proof of an intent to coerce a civilian population or influence government policy, a standard he said the evidence did not meet.
“While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal,” the judge wrote.
The ruling is a setback for District Attorney Bragg, whose office signaled it would not appeal. “We respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including murder in the second degree,” said spokesperson Danielle Filson.
Legal experts affirmed the ruling’s soundness. James M. McGuire, a former prosecutor and appellate judge, called the initial terrorism charges “an overreach” and said the judge’s order was “strongly and thoroughly reasoned.”
Mangione’s defense, led by attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, had argued that applying the terrorism statute would “trivialize and redefine” its legal definition beyond legislative intent.
The December 4 shooting, which occurred as Thompson entered a Midtown Hilton for an investor conference, ignited a multistate manhunt.
Mangione was arrested days later at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. Prosecutors allege he used a 3D-printed handgun fitted with a suppressor and left behind writings that expressed a desire to rebel against the “greed-fueled health insurance cartel.”
Despite the dismissal of the terrorism counts, Mangione’s legal peril remains extreme.
The upheld second-degree murder charge carries a sentence of 25 years to life. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors are pursuing a death penalty case, with Attorney General Pam Bondi calling the killing a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination.”
The case has become a polarizing symbol, attracting vocal supporters who see Mangione as a crusader against a reviled healthcare system.
Outside the courthouse, dozens of supporters cheered the dismissal, some wearing “Free Luigi” T-shirts. An online legal defense fund has raised approximately $1.5 million.
Mangione, clad in khaki jail scrubs and shackles, appeared impassive during the brief hearing but raised his eyebrows to supporters as he was led out.
The next hearing in the state case is scheduled for December 1. The federal case, which is not affected by this state-level ruling, continues to proceed.