State terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the defendant in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive last year, were dismissed on Tuesday, including a first-degree murder count that could have landed him in prison for the rest of his life.
The judge overseeing the case, Gregory Carro, said he had found the evidence behind the charges “legally insufficient.” Mr. Mangione, 27, is still charged with second-degree murder and that case is expected to proceed, though no trial date has been set.
The decision by Justice Carro is a blow to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, led by Alvin L. Bragg. Mr. Bragg had argued that a terrorism charge was warranted because Mr. Mangione had targeted the chief executive, Brian Thompson, in “the media capital of the world,” Midtown Manhattan, at the beginning of a busy morning, hoping to create a spectacle that would help further his message.
Mr. Bragg described the act as “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
New York law requires that prosecutors who charge a defendant with terrorism show that the person attempted to intimidate a civilian population, or influence government policy or conduct. Judge Carro said that prosecutors had failed to show that Mr. Mangione sought to do either of those things.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bragg’s office, Danielle Filson, said, “We respect the Court’s decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree.”
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The post State Terrorism Charges Against Luigi Mangione Are Dismissed appeared first on New York Times.
