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The Luigi Mangione murder trial in New York will no longer begin in September after a state judge postponed the case while Mangione’s lawyers fight to have the charges dismissed on double jeopardy grounds.

Justice Gregory Carro canceled the Sept. 8 trial date Monday, days after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges connected to the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office now has until Oct. 9 to respond to the defense’s dismissal request. Mangione’s next state court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.

Federal Guilty Plea Changes the Legal Battle

Mangione pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on Aug. 14 to two stalking charges. During the hearing, he admitted targeting Thompson and fatally shooting him outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024.

Federal prosecutors say they will seek a life sentence. Mangione entered the plea without reaching a deal with prosecutors, meaning there is no guarantee his admission of guilt will produce a lighter sentence. His federal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.

The guilty plea immediately gave Mangione’s lawyers a new argument in the separate New York prosecution.

His defense team contends that allowing the state murder case to proceed would effectively punish him twice for the same conduct. They are asking Carro to dismiss the state charges under New York’s protections against double jeopardy.

Can New York Still Prosecute Mangione?

The answer could depend on whether the federal stalking offenses and New York’s murder charge are considered legally distinct.

New York’s double jeopardy protections contain exceptions when separate offenses require different legal elements or are designed to address substantially different harms. Legal experts have noted that the federal stalking charges require proof of conduct that is different from the elements prosecutors must establish for second-degree murder.

That distinction could make it difficult for Mangione’s attorneys to have the entire state case dismissed.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it intends to fight the defense motion. If the state prosecution survives, Mangione could face 25 years to life if convicted of second-degree murder, in addition to whatever sentence he receives in federal court.

State Trial Now on Hold

The postponement means the Luigi Mangione murder trial will not begin next month as previously planned, and no replacement trial date has been announced.

Carro is expected to consider the double jeopardy arguments after prosecutors submit their response. A hearing is now set for Dec. 10, just eight days before Mangione is due to be sentenced federally.

The coming months could therefore determine whether Mangione faces a second trial for Thompson’s killing or whether his federal conviction becomes the central case determining how long he remains in prison.