Northeast
Death penalty off the table for Luigi Mangione after judge agrees to dismiss federal murder charge
Judge rules Luigi Mangione won’t face death penalty
Fox News’ Nate Foy reports as a judge agreed to throw out the most serious charge against Luigi Mangione and denied the defense’s request to suppress some evidence. Legal editor Kerri Urbahn discusses the judge’s decisions.
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A federal judge in New York has agreed to dismiss federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione. This takes the potential death penalty off the table.
Lawyers for accused assassin Luigi Mangione had continued to bolster their legal arguments to have the most serious charges against him thrown out.
Judge Margaret Garnett conceded to some “absurdity” in her decision.
“The Court would be remiss not to note at the outset the apparent absurdity of the inquiry,” she wrote. “The Defendant is charged with selecting a stranger to be killed based on his employment; carefully planning the killing, including identifying where and when the selected victim would be most vulnerable; traveling across multiple states to carry out that killing; and then gunning the victim down on a public street in midtown Manhattan, using a handgun equipped with a silencer. No one could seriously question that this is violent criminal conduct.”
ALVIN BRAGG’S ‘UNREALISTIC’ TIMELINE IN LUIGI MANGIONE CASE SETS UP SHOWDOWN WITH TRUMP DOJ
Luigi Mangione, charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, appears in State Supreme Court in Manhattan alongside attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo during an evidence suppression hearing in his case on Friday, December 12, 2025. (William Farrington for New York Post via Pool)
The ruling was one of two that came shortly before the 27-year-old was due back in court Friday morning for a status conference.
A separate motion to suppress evidence alleging police violated Mangione’s constitutional rights with the search of his backpack was denied. According to investigators, the suspected murder weapon and a manifesto were in the bag.
The defendant arrived around 11:10 a.m. in a tan jail jumpsuit and without handcuffs. The hearing kicked off a few minutes later.
Prosecutors said they were not yet ready to make a decision on whether they planned to appeal the judge’s decision. Much of the rest of the hearing focused on scheduling and questions about jury selection.
Read the judge’s order:
Although oral arguments already took place, the defense aggressively argued in subsequent filings that prosecutors failed to allege an underlying “crime of violence” necessary for the top charge of murder through use of a firearm. That was the only charge Mangione faced that carried the potential death penalty.
Prosecutors countered in an opposition filing that the defense is relying on irrelevant precedent, but the judge disagreed.
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UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is pictured in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth. The executive was shot from behind and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors have described as a politically motivated assassination. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
In order to charge Mangione with the federal charge of murder through use of a firearm, prosecutors need an underlying crime of violence. They have alleged that crime to be stalking. However, according to legal analysts, if stalking can be done without violence, even if it wasn’t in the case alleged, the charge could fall apart.
Garnett wrote that she was bound by Supreme Court precedent.
“Over the course of the last two decades or so, the Supreme Court has embarked upon a legal journey, explained herein, that now requires lower courts to engage in an analysis totally divorced from the conduct at issue and centered on the hypothetically least serious conduct that the charged crime could possibly cover,” she wrote.
Luigi Mangione attends an evidentiary hearing in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York, U.S., December 18, 2025. (Shannon Stapleton/Pool via Reuters)
JUDGE REVEALS EARLIEST POTENTIAL START TIMES FOR LUIGI MANGIONE’S FEDERAL MURDER TRIAL
Mangione is accused of stalking UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson before shooting him in the back outside a New York City hotel on the morning of a planned business conference.
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“It’s like a series of dominos — the only way that the federal government can get to a death penalty charge in their case is if the murder was committed during the course of a violent felony,” Joshua Ritter, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, previously told Fox News Digital. “And the reason that they need that is because they need what’s called a federal hook to get them federal jurisdiction.”
Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two from Minnesota, had come to the Big Apple to meet with Wall Street investors.
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Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. (Janet Klingbeil via AP)
Surveillance cameras recorded the slaying. Video shows Thompson walking down the sidewalk outside the hotel when a man approaches from behind and opens fire.
Thompson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and collapsed to the ground. The gunman fled and was later spotted making his way uptown on a bicycle. There was at least one eyewitness, who appeared to be unharmed.
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Police arrested Mangione five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where customers and staff said they recognized him from a wanted poster released in connection with Thompson’s murder.
Luigi Mangione is confronted by Altoona, Pennsylvania police in a McDonald’s shortly before his arrest for allegedly murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Altoona Police Department)
Police said they found the suspected murder weapon and handwritten notes that were critical of the health insurance industry and may indicate Mangione’s alleged planning and a motive.
Jury selection is scheduled for Sept. 8, with a trial expected to kick off on Oct. 13.
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Separately, Manhattan prosecutors have requested a July 1 start date for Mangione’s state trial, which his lawyers have objected to as “unrealistic.”
In a letter to New York Judge Gregory Carro Wednesday, Assistant Manhattan DA Joel Seidemann wrote that the state has an interest, protected by federal law, in taking Mangione to trial first.
“That case is none of my concern,” Judge Garnett told the parties in court Firday.
This is a breaking news story. Stick with Fox News Digital for updates.
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Northeast
Pilot, passenger swim to safety after plane crashes into New York’s Hudson River
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A pilot and passenger swam through the frigid waters of the Hudson River and reached shore safely after their Cessna 172 made an emergency landing Monday night, officials said.
The aircraft had taken off from Long Island when the pilot was forced to land in the river just after 8 p.m., the Middle Hope Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Middle Hope Fire Department responders, along with personnel from other agencies, were dispatched to the scene. After a brief search, first responders located the plane within the City of Newburgh, authorities said.
A plane wades in the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
Fire officials said the two occupants were able to free themselves from the aircraft and swim to shore. Newburgh Emergency Medical Services evaluated the pair before they were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
Multiple agencies were on the scene after a plane crashed into the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hailed the incident as “Another miracle on Hudson.”
“Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries,” the governor wrote in a post on X. “Grateful to our first responders for their quick actions.”
A plane made an emergency landing on the Hudson River Monday evening. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Rep. Pat Ryan said he was “closely monitoring reports of a small plane making an emergency landing near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.”
“I’m in touch with officials on the ground, who have shared that both passengers are safely out of the water & have been evacuated by EMS,” he said. “Incredibly grateful for our Hudson Valley first responders who are responding swiftly and put their lives on the line to keep others safe.”
First responders found the plane within the city limits of Newburgh. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
The cause of the emergency landing remains under investigation.
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Boston, MA
Boston honors first casualty of American Revolution – The Boston Globe
“In moments of challenge and in moments of conflict, it does feel easier to put your head down,” Wu said at an event at the Old State House commemorating Attucks.
“Remembering the full history pushes us to be the beacon of freedom that the rest of the country and the rest of the world so very much needs.”
Inside the Old State House’s council chambers, city leaders, historians, and students gathered to celebrate Attucks’ legacy. They talked about the importance of memorializing him during a time when many present said the contributions of people of color to American history were being erased by the Trump administration, and the country’s founding principles were under attack.
Senator Lydia Edwards said the death of Attucks and the four others killed during the Boston Massacre helped establish important legal principles that still guide the country today.
Following the killings, British soldiers involved in the incident were put on trial. John Adams, who later became president, agreed to defend them in court, arguing that the rule of law must be upheld even during times of intense conflict.
“Even in these moments of strife, oppression of rogue federal government, that we remember that we stood up and still held to our court system, to the rule of law and to due process,” Edwards said. “We also remember who had to die in order to remind ourselves to do that.”
City Councilor Brian Worrell said Attucks was a symbol of the long struggle for equality in the country.
“It’s a story that is a reminder that Black and Indigenous Americans have always been at the forefront [of] the fight for justice,” Worrell said.
He said when he recounts Boston’s Black history, he almost always starts with Attucks’ story.
“He fought not simply against the tea tax or the Stamp Act, he fought for the most basic of rights. He fought for equal human lives. It’s a fight we as a city are still having,” he said.
Wu spoke about how on March 5, 2025, she was called to testify before Congress about Boston’s immigration policies during a six-hour hearing. She touted Boston’s safety record amid aggressive questioning, arguing that the city’s immigration policies improved public safety.
“On the 255th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, on Crispus Attucks Day, there was no way that this city wasn’t going to be represented in standing up for what’s right,” Wu said.
A chandelier lit the council chamber and red curtains covered its historic windows. On both sides of the room, students sat with their teachers. Winners of the Crispus Attucks Essay Contest, which invites local students to explore Attucks’ legacy, sat next to the podium.
“Sometimes history repeats itself,” said Toni Martin, an attendee at the event, who came to support her niece, who was being awarded. “Sometimes it gets better, but it takes revolutionary people to make change perfect.”
Outside of the State House after the commemoration, Sharahn Pullum, 18, who came in second for the essay contest, said, “My inspiration was just getting the opportunity to speak on something that matters.”
Michael Kelly, 65, joined the wreath-laying ceremony that took place at the Boston Massacre Commemorative Plaza. Kelly held a sign that said, “Ice Out Be Goode,” referring to Renee Good, a US citizen who was shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Kelly said he had been standing at the plaza for three hours and is planning to stand there the entire day.
“People can stretch their imaginations to understand that this place, what happened here, is not at all different than what happened in Minneapolis,” Kelly said with tears in his eyes. “People standing up for something they believe in is vastly important, and we can’t be daunted.”

Aayushi Datta can be reached at aayushi.datta@globe.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Cardinals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League, but suffered a surprising defeat.
The Pirates lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., taking just their third defeat in Spring Training so far, dropping to 9-3 in the Grapefruit League.
Pittsburgh saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but they are still level with the New York Yankees at the top of the Grapefruit League standings.
This game also came after the first off day for the Pirates on March 4 and a 7-1 win over Team Colombia in an exhibition at LECOM Park on March 3.
How the Pirates Fell to the Cardinals
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller made his third start in the Grapefruit League and threw three scoreless innings, before giving up a solo home run to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman on a slider down in the zone, putting the road team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
That represented the first run that Keller gave up all Spring Training and Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Derek Diamond came in for him after he gave up a single to Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.
Keller has just a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, a good start for the veteran on the starting rotation.
St. Louis loaded the bases against Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk in the top of the fifth inning with three walks, but Sisk struckout top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt and forced Gorman into a double play to keep it a one-run game.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning, as he walked second baseman Ramón Urías, who stole second base, then gave up a single to catcher Pedro Pagés, doubling the Cardinals’ lead at 2-0.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as shortstop Alika Williams hit a two-run home run off of Cardinals left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning, hitting leadoff batter Joshua Baez with a pitch and then giving up a single to pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks to make it 3-2.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn had a strong showing for the Pirates in the loss to the Cardinals with two hits in two at-bats. He is now slashing .462/.563/.769 for an OPS of 1.332 in six Grapefruit League games.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had a hit off the bench for the Pirates, as he is now slashing .533/.611/.733 for an OPS of 1.344 in seven games.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
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