Luigi Mangione's federal trial will now start in 2027, judge says
The start of Luigi Mangione's federal trial is being pushed back to 2027, a judge announced Monday.
Mangione, 28, is accused in the 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Judge Margaret Garnett said she had hoped to be able to proceed with Mangione's federal trial this fall, but given the fact that Mangione's state trial trial is set to begin in September, it would be impossible to move forward with a federal trial at the same time.
Jury selection in the federal trial will now begin on Jan. 5, with the actual trial beginning with opening statements on Jan. 25, the judge said, adding the federal trial will likely take about two to three weeks.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both the state and federal charges.
Mangione briefly stuck in elevator
Court began slightly later than usual Monday morning because Mangione got stuck in an elevator while trying to get to court. Building engineers had to help get him out.
The hearing had been set to begin at 11:30 a.m., but Mangione didn't arrive until 11:50, and the proceedings got started at noon.
Potential plea deal discussed, sources say
Mangione's hearing Monday came after there were reports of a potential plea agreement in the federal trial. Sources told CBS News that prosecutors and defense attorneys talked about a possible deal, but talks fell through.
Defense lawyer Karen Agnifilo slammed the reports.
"The information attributed to 'anonymous sources' is part of a troubling, deliberate pattern by prosecutors and law enforcement to prejudice Luigi, manipulate public opinion and violate his constitutional right to a fair trial and impartial jury," she said in a statement.
Legal experts said these types of discussions are common between prosecutors and defense attorneys before trial.
"They're going to have a conversation about whether or not they will do a deal. It is not at all uncommon to have a conversation about a potential plea deal throughout the process," CBS News legal analyst Jessica Levinson said.
It was unclear if another attempt at a plea deal will pick up again.
"I would have been shocked if there were no plea negotiations in these cases because you have to at least explore if there's a way to resolve this without trial," legal expert Richard Schoenstein said.
Psychiatric defense dropped in state trial
On June 18, Mangione's defense team withdrew a psychiatric defense in that trial, one day after telling the court they would use it.
They argued he was suffering an extreme emotional disturbance when he allegedly shot and killed Thompson. The argument would have reduced the murder charge to manslaughter if the jury accepted it.
That could have meant a shorter prison sentence for Mangione if convicted.
"They would have had to make Mangione available for an examination by the prosecution, among other things, by withdrawing that they don't have to produce any of that evidence," Schoenstein said.
Asked if there is still a chance Mangione might pursue that defense, Schoenstein said, "There have been cases where defendants have argued extreme emotional without an expert witness. Without that kind of evidence, I think it's hard to do. You basically have to put the defendant on the stand."
