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By Gabe Whisnant
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Jury selection in the federal murder trial of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024, will begin September 8, a judge said Friday. The remainder of the trial schedule depends on whether prosecutors are permitted to seek the death penalty.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said the timing of opening statements and witness testimony hinges on several unresolved legal issues, including whether the case will proceed as a capital prosecution.
If the death penalty remains an option, the next phase of the trial would begin January 11, 2027—more than four months after jury selection starts. If prosecutors are barred from seeking capital punishment, opening statements would be held October 13.
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Garnett noted that capital cases are typically more complex and require significantly more preparation time.
Newsweek has reached out to Mangione's legal team via email on Friday afternoon for comment.
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Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to Federal, State Murder Charges
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges stemming from Thompson’s murder. Both cases carry the possibility of life in prison. A trial date has not yet been scheduled in the state case.
Thompson was fatally shot on December 4, 2024, as he walked to a Manhattan hotel hosting UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman approaching Thompson from behind and shooting him.
Mangione was arrested five days later, on December 9, 2024, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania—about 230 miles west of the Manhattan shooting scene—where police said he was eating breakfast.
Judge Hears Arguments Over Backpack Search
Garnett set the trial timeline as Mangione returned to federal court on Friday for a hearing focused on the police seizure and search of his backpack following his arrest.
Defense attorneys are seeking to suppress evidence recovered from it, including a gun that police say matched the weapon used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which Mangione allegedly described plans to “wack” a health insurance executive.
Friday’s hearing was limited to the backpack issue and included testimony from one witness: Altoona Police Department Deputy Chief Nathan Snyder.
Garnett said she called the hearing to listen from a police official about “the established or standardized procedures in use” at the time of Mangione’s arrest for securing, safeguarding and inventorying the personal property of someone arrested in a public place.
Police Procedures Under Scrutiny
Prosecutors said Snyder, who was promoted to deputy chief about three weeks ago, was not involved in Mangione’s arrest, had no role in the Altoona police investigation and has not had substantive conversations with the officers who carried out the arrest.
Snyder testified that if officers discovered illegal items such as drugs or a firearm, they would “probably go get a search warrant.” But under questioning by a prosecutor, he said if officers found a gun, they would continue searching the property for other potentially dangerous items.
Defense lawyers argue the initial search of the backpack was illegal because officers had not yet obtained a warrant. They raised similar arguments at a recent state court hearing where a judge said he expects to rule on evidence issues in May.
Garnett said she would allow Mangione’s lawyers to question Snyder about departmental procedures but warned that she would not permit the federal hearing to become “some extension of the state hearing by proxy.”
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What Police Say They Found
Prosecutors contend officers searched the backpack legally at the McDonald’s under Altoona police protocols requiring officers to promptly search an arrestee’s belongings for dangerous items. Police later obtained a warrant, prosecutors said.
According to testimony from an earlier hearing, officers found a loaded gun magazine during the initial search at the restaurant.
Officers continued searching the backpack at a police station, where they recovered a gun and a silencer. Police also conducted an inventory search—a procedure that involves cataloging all seized property—and found the notebook and other writings, including what appeared to be to-do lists and possible getaway plans, according to testimony.
That type of inventory search is required under Altoona police policy, prosecutors said.
Death Penalty Decision Still Pending
Separately, Garnett is considering a defense request to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. Mangione’s lawyers argue the capital-eligible charges are legally flawed and prosecutors improperly prejudiced their client by publicly declaring their intent to seek the death penalty before obtaining an indictment.
As part of her review, Garnett ordered prosecutors to provide a copy of the affidavit used to obtain a federal search warrant. Defense attorneys have also submitted police policy documents and a prisoner log from the day of Mangione’s arrest.
Mangione is scheduled to return to federal court on January 30 for a status conference.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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