Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused in the December 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, have filed a motion in New York federal court seeking to dismiss several charges from the indictment, including the sole count eligible for capital punishment, arguing procedural flaws and insufficient evidence.

In a high-stakes courtroom maneuver, defense attorneys for Luigi Mangione submitted a detailed filing early Saturday, October 11, 2025, urging a federal judge in Manhattan to throw out portions of the indictment against their client in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson. The motion targets the critical charge of murder with a firearm in furtherance of another crime of violence—a count that stands alone as the only one carrying potential for the death penalty under federal law—contending that prosecutors have not adequately specified the underlying offenses required for conviction. This latest challenge comes amid a case that has polarized the public, blending legal scrutiny with widespread resentment toward the health insurance industry.

Mangione, a former data engineer from Maryland, was arrested on December 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day nationwide search after Thompson was found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel during an investor conference. Authorities allege Mangione traveled to New York with a 3D-printed “ghost gun” suppressor and silencer, impersonating a handyman to gain access to the area, and fleeing by bus and train while discarding incriminating items. He faces a total of four federal counts alongside eleven state charges, including first-degree murder, to which he has entered not guilty pleas in both jurisdictions. The federal case, unusual for a murder typically handled at the state level, invokes a statute allowing enhanced penalties for offenses involving firearms tied to other violent crimes.

At the heart of the defense’s argument is the assertion that the government has failed to identify qualifying “crimes of violence” necessary to elevate the murder charge. Prosecutors have pointed to stalking as the predicate offense, but Mangione’s lawyers counter that it does not meet the legal definition under federal precedents, which require an element of physical force or imminent threat. “The indictment is fatally vague, leaving the defense without fair notice of the charges,” the filing states, echoing similar procedural objections raised in prior motions. Without a solid underlying crime, they argue, the entire count crumbles, stripping away the basis for seeking capital punishment—a rarity in New York, where the state abolished the death penalty in 2004.

This filing builds on a series of defense challenges dating back to September 2025, when attorneys sought outright dismissal of all federal charges, citing prejudicial public statements by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi, in April 2025, directed Southern District of New York prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, describing the incident as a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” Mangione’s team labeled these remarks as inflammatory, potentially biasing the jury pool and violating due process by prejudging guilt. That motion remains pending, but the latest submission adds layers, including claims of an unlawful search of Mangione’s backpack upon arrest—a black bag containing a laptop, notebook with alleged planning notes, and the purported weapon components seized without a warrant.

The defense filing meticulously reconstructs the arrest, drawing from police body-camera footage to portray Mangione as fully cooperative. It describes him seated alone at a McDonald’s table, masked and unresisting, as officers approached based on a tip from a witness who recognized him from wanted posters. “From initial contact to transport, the defendant complied at every turn,” the lawyers write, including a photo from the footage showing Mangione’s masked face as officers confirmed his identity. They argue the warrantless search exceeded the scope of a permissible pat-down for officer safety, tainting evidence central to the federal case and warranting suppression under the Fourth Amendment.

Mangione’s legal battles mirror recent state court developments. On September 16, 2025, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro dismissed two terrorism-related murder charges—first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism—ruling that prosecutors failed to demonstrate intent to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population.” The decision hinged on the lack of evidence tying the act to broader ideological aims beyond personal grievances, though Carro upheld the core first-degree murder count. Federal prosecutors, undeterred, have pressed forward, with U.S. Attorney Damian Williams emphasizing the case’s gravity in a September statement: “This was a deliberate attack on a leader in American business, and we will hold the responsible party accountable under the fullest extent of the law.”

The underlying incident continues to fuel national discourse on healthcare inequities. Thompson, 50, was gunned down at 6:45 a.m. on December 4, 2024, as he walked to the New York Hilton Midtown for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor day. Shell casings inscribed with words like “deny,” “defend,” and “depose”—phrases echoing insurance industry critiques—were recovered at the scene, alongside surveillance footage showing a masked figure fleeing. Mangione, who had no direct ties to UnitedHealthcare or Thompson, reportedly harbored frustrations with the U.S. medical system, stemming from chronic back pain treated with spinal fusion surgery in 2023. A notebook seized from him contained rants against corporate greed, but authorities maintain no evidence links him to organized groups.

Public reaction remains sharply divided, with a December 2024 poll by the Center for Strategic Politics revealing 61% negative views of Mangione overall, though younger demographics leaned more sympathetic, viewing him favorably compared to Thompson and his employer. Online, the case has spawned merchandise, podcasts, and debates, with supporters framing Mangione as a folk anti-hero against “unjustifiable systems,” as stated by Sam Beard of the December 4th Legal Committee. Critics, including UnitedHealth Group executives, decry the glorification, with spokesperson Tyler Mason noting in a recent statement: “Brian was a dedicated family man and innovator; his loss demands justice, not division.”

Currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn under Federal Register Number 52503-511, Mangione has requested access to his laptop for trial preparation, a bid approved in part by the court last month. His state case is set for trial in early 2026, while federal proceedings could follow, pending these motions. Prosecutors have until late October to respond, but legal observers anticipate a hearing within weeks, potentially narrowing the path to resolution.

This saga underscores tensions at the intersection of crime, commerce, and conscience. As Mangione’s team chips away at the federal framework, the case tests boundaries of prosecutorial discretion and public sympathy in an era of economic discontent. For Thompson’s family—widow Shana and their two children—the pursuit of closure persists amid the legal chessboard. In a filing rich with timelines and exhibits, the defense signals no retreat, positioning this as a pivotal stand against what they call an overreach in a deeply fraught narrative.