Mangione’s statement in court Friday landed as the trial calendars for his state and federal cases began to take shape. He told the judge that the possibility of back-to-back proceedings over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson would amount to being tried twice for the same alleged conduct, describing it as “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
The remarks came as court officers escorted Mangione out after Judge Gregory Carro scheduled a New York state murder trial to begin June 8, roughly three months before jury selection in Mangione’s federal case. Mangione, 27, pleaded not guilty in both cases, and both carry the possibility of life in prison.
Carro’s decision followed a lengthy bench discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers. He also set a contingency for the state schedule, saying the June trial date could be delayed until Sept. 8 if an appeal affects the federal timeline, according to Friday’s hearing.
Defense counsel objected to the June 8 date, arguing that the defense would not be ready because prosecutors have said the federal case involves allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson before killing him. Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo told Carro the defendant would be “put in an untenable situation” and said the defense “will not be ready on June 8,” framing the scheduling as a “tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.” Carro responded by telling the defense to “Be ready.”
The federal case is scheduled to proceed with jury selection on Sept. 8. The court set opening statements and testimony for Oct. 13, after the selection phase. In the federal case, the judge has already ruled that prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty.
Carro’s courtroom scheduling also reflected competing arguments from prosecutors about which court should proceed first. Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann sent a letter asking Carro to begin the New York trial on July 1, arguing that the state’s interests would be “unfairly prejudiced by an unnecessary delay.” Seidemann also argued that under the law, New York has “priority of jurisdiction” for purposes of trial, sentencing and incarceration because Mangione was arrested by New York City police rather than federal authorities.
Carro said Friday that it appeared the federal government had reneged on an agreement to let the state case go first. He added that such scheduling could help Manhattan prosecutors avoid double jeopardy issues. Under New York law, the district attorney’s office could be barred from trying Mangione if his federal trial happens first, with double jeopardy protections kicking in when a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution or when that prosecution ends in a guilty plea.
Prosecutors say the cases involve different charges but arise from the same alleged course of conduct. In the state case, Mangione is not scheduled to return to court again until May, when Carro is expected to rule on a defense request to exclude certain evidence prosecutors say connects Mangione to the killing. Those items include a 9 mm handgun prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which prosecutors say Mangione described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive.
The scheduling dispute is occurring as the underlying homicide case remains pending. Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Police said a masked gunman shot him from behind, and prosecutors have said ammunition left at the scene included the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” which mimicked a phrase insurers use when avoiding claims payments. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.