A New York state court has scheduled June 8 for the trial of Luigi Mangione, the individual charged with the 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. The scheduling decision by Judge Gregory Carro on Friday immediately sparked vigorous objections from Mangione’s defense team, who argued that their client’s federal trial—already set for September—should take precedence due to double jeopardy concerns.
During the tense hearing, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo contended that proceeding with the state trial first would create an “untenable” situation for her client, who faces two separate trials within months. The legal team maintained that trying Mangione in both state and federal courts for substantially similar charges constitutes double jeopardy, despite the dismissal of terrorism charges that previously carried potential death penalty implications.
Mangione himself vocalized his objections as court officers escorted him from the courtroom in handcuffs and tan prison jumpsuit, declaring: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one equals two. Double jeopardy by any common sense judgment.”
Judge Carro countered that the case had been simplified by the dropped terrorism charges and insisted the state proceeding should move forward as originally intended, accusing federal authorities of reneging on a prior agreement regarding trial sequencing. The judge repeatedly emphasized his June 8 date determination, cutting short further arguments from the defense with the statement: “That’s enough. I don’t need to hear any more about it.”
The hearing occurred just one week after federal judges established the September trial date while eliminating capital punishment provisions from the federal case against Mangione.