By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK, April 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday delayed by a few weeks the federal trial of Luigi Mangione on charges stemming from the killing of a health insurance executive in Manhattan, after defense lawyers said he would not have enough time to prepare.
In-person jury selection for Mangione's federal trial on stalking charges stemming from the December 4, 2024, killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is now set to begin on October 5, with opening statements and the presentation of evidence expected to start on October 26 or November 2, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said at a hearing.
Jury selection was previously scheduled to begin on September 8, and opening statements were scheduled for October 13.
Mangione, 27, had asked to delay the federal trial until January because he also faces a separate trial on New York state murder charges starting on June 8. His lawyers argued that the overlapping schedules would inhibit Mangione's ability to prepare for the federal trial.
"Mr. Mangione is now in the position of needing to prepare for two complicated and serious trials at the same time," his lawyers wrote in a March 18 letter to Garnett.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
PROSECUTORS OPPOSE DELAY
Prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office opposed delaying in-person jury selection and opening statements in the federal case.
But they said in a March 21 court filing that they were open to modifying the timeline for distributing and reviewing screening questionnaires to roughly 800 prospective jurors to make sure Mangione has the chance to evaluate them.
Mangione has been jailed since his arrest in Pennsylvania five days after the shooting death of Thompson, who led UnitedHealth Group's health insurance business, outside a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.
DEATH PENALTY OFF THE TABLE
Mangione initially faced a possible death sentence in the federal case. That was taken off the table in January, when Garnett dismissed the federal murder charge he faced. Garnett called that charge legally incompatible with the two stalking charges he still faces. Federal murder statutes carry different legal requirements than comparable state laws.
Mangione could still face a life sentence if convicted of the federal stalking charges and 25 years to life in prison if found guilty at the state trial.
While public officials widely condemned Thompson's killing, Mangione became a folk hero of sorts to some Americans who decry high costs for U.S. medical care and health insurer practices.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New YorkEditing by Bill Berkrot and Nia Williams)
