Luigi Mangione court appearance today postponed; arraignment expected next week

Luigi Mangione indicted on federal charges

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December, has been indicted in a New York court on four charges including a count eligible for the death penalty. A grand jury returned the indictment on Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

NEW YORK - The court appearance today for accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione in Manhattan has been postponed, and his arraignment will take place next week.

FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross has confirmed Mangione's arraignment will take place on Friday, April 25 at 1 p.m. It comes a day after Mangione was indicted on federal charges in the December killing of CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, is accused of gunning down Thompson, the 50-year-old head of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the U.S.

Click here to jump to live updates.

What happened on Thursday?

Mangione was indicted on federal charges Thursday evening, including a charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Mangione's defense has asked a federal judge to throw out the possibility of the death penalty before the indictment. In a fiery back-and-forth through court filings, prosecutors said it was too early for the defense to move to have the death penalty taken off the table.

Feds to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. While New York State does not permit capital punishment, the federal firearm-related murder charge makes the death penalty possible. FOX 5's Michelle Ross reports.

The indictment also charges him with stalking and a gun offense.

Live updates

FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross has confirmed Mangione's arriangment will take place on Friday, April 25 at 1 p.m. (11:52 a.m. Michael Stallone)
FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross is reporting that Mangione is now not expected to appear in court today. Ross reports an appearance is possible, most likely next week. (8:40 a.m. Michael Stallone)
Mangione is expected to appear in court at some point today, although it's unclear exactly what time. (8:12 a.m. Michael Stallone)
A supporter of Luigi Mangione waits outside the courthouse ahead of his expected appearance. (7:03a.m. Jonah Schweitzer)

➡️Luigi Mangione trial, CEO murder case latest: Everything we know

Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan Criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

What we know about the federal case against Luigi Mangione

Dig deeper:

Mangione faces separate federal and state charges, and the prosecutors previously stated that the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks. Today's news is related to the federal case.

Federal charges

Mangione’s federal charges include murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The state charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Stalking, two counts
Murder through use of a firearm, one count
Using a firearm equipped with a silencer while committing a crime of violence, one count

Luigi Mangione (C), accused killer of US insurance CEO Brian Thompson, sits next to his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo (L) in Manhattan Supreme Court as he attends a hearing in New York City on February 21, 2025. (Photo by Steven HIRSCH / POOL / AF

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What prosecutors are saying

What they're saying:

According to authorities, Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used to kill Thompson during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Investigators said he was also carrying a passport, fake IDs and about $10,000.

The federal complaint filed in December also stated that Mangione had a spiral notebook that included several handwritten pages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives. Among the entries, prosecutors said, was one from August 2024 that said "the target is insurance" because "it checks every box" and one from October that describes an intent to "wack" an insurance company CEO.

Moreover, the complaint points to surveillance images of the apparent shooter at the hotel where the attack took place, in a taxi, at a hostel and escaping the murder scene by bike.

Read the federal complaint (U.S. v Mangione) here.

In April, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Mangione, following through on the president’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment. She called Thompson's killing a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America."

What the defense is saying

Mangione has not yet been required to enter a plea on the federal charges but pleaded not guilty to the state indictment.

His legal team has taken several defense actions against state and federal prosecutors. His Pennsylvania lawyer, Thomas Dickey, is challenging the legality of evidence obtained during his arrest, arguing that Altoona police conducted an illegal search of his backpack without a warrant and detained him without reading his Miranda rights. Lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo is looking to exclude similar evidence in his New York case.

Friedman Agnifilo described the parallel state and federal caseload as a "highly unusual situation," likening his treatment to being a "human ping pong ball" between jurisdictions. She criticizes the public "perp walks" orchestrated by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, calling them "absolutely unnecessary" and politically motivated.

Despite the legal challenges, Mangione has garnered significant public support, with a fundraising page collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars.

➡️Latest Luigi Mangione case updates and news from FOX 5 NY

What happened on Dec. 4, 2024?

The backstory:

In the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed in an ambush-style attack outside of Manhattan's New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, where he was scheduled to speak at an annual investor conference on behalf of the Fortune 500 company.

Shocking video shows CEO gunned down in 'targeted attack'

Video obtained by FOX 5 NY shows the moment Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.

The masked killer, wearing a distinctive gray backpack and black hooded jacket, was caught on chilling footage walking up behind Thompson, raising a handgun with glove-covered hands. The culprit fires off several rounds, shooting the CEO in the back.

Shell casings found at the scene were etched with the words "delay," "deny" and "depose," seemingly reflecting the criticism of the healthcare industry.

According to investigators and security footage, the attacker escaped by riding a bike to Central Park and ditching evidence there before hailing a cab to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and fleeing the city by bus.

A person of interest in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Police released several images of the alleged attacker before Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days later. There, a McDonald’s customer noticed that Mangione looked like the person in surveillance photos police were circulating of the gunman, prosecutors said.

The killing of Thompson, a chief executive, sent shock waves throughout the corporate world; meanwhile, Mangione attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.