Luigi Mangione avoids federal death penalty after prosecutors decline appeal

Federal prosecutors will not appeal a judge’s ruling that effectively removes the death penalty from Luigi Mangione’s federal case.

That means he will not face capital punishment if convicted in that trial.

In late January, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal murder and gun charges that made Mangione eligible for the death penalty, ruling that the remaining stalking charges do not legally qualify as a crime of violence required to support capital punishment.

Prosecutors were given a deadline to decide whether to appeal the decision. On Friday, they informed the court they would not seek review, leaving Garnett’s ruling in place.

With the death penalty off the table in the federal case, Mangione will instead face prosecution under charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted.

His federal trial is still scheduled to begin in the fall, with jury selection slated for September and opening statements expected in October.

Mangione also faces a state murder trial in New York — scheduled to begin in June 8 — which does not include the death penalty.

Mangione, 27, was accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges.