Manhattan DA pushes for Mangione’s state trial to start July 1st

New York prosecutors pushed on Wednesday to have Luigi Mangione’s murder trial begin on July 1 so that it can be held prior to his federal trial, which is scheduled for later this year.

Mangione, who is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk on Dec. 4, 2024, faces both state and federal charges.

“Federal law supports our request that we proceed first, and our right to a speedy resolution of this case would be severely compromised should the federal trial proceed first,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in a letter submitted on Wednesday to Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro.

In a letter, Seidemann argued that the state’s case should go to trial first because substantial local resources have been dedicated to it and the state has an “overriding interest” in trying Mangione for the alleged murder.

But the court has a relatively narrow window of a few months to bring the case to trial this summer.Carro will not rule on the defendant’s motion to suppress key evidence in the case until May 18. The court held an extensive set of hearings in December about whether items in Mangione’s backpack including a notebook allegedly containing his “manifesto” and a pistol would be allowed as evidence during trial.

Seidemann warned that the hurdle after that ruling would be compliance with his demands for discovery. Prosecutors have yet to receive any discovery materials, Seidemann wrote.

Mangione’s legal team said Seidemann’s letter was the time that they had heard about the July 1 trial request in the state case, which they suggested was not a realistic timeline.

“As a practical matter, Mr. Mangione’s defense team will require the remainder of the year to prepare for that trial. We will respond to the Court about this unrealistic request in the coming days,” said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, of the firm Agnifilo Intrater LLP.