Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.
The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.
The judge dismissed the murder charge because it requires that the killing was committed during another “crime of violence.” Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.
The judge disagreed, finding stalking charges are not “crimes of violence” and dismissed two counts in his federal case – murder and a related firearm offense.
68 Comments
Gullible@sh.itjust.works · 231 pts · 202d
Why would he? We were playing stardew valley together at the time, and he was showing me how to reel in the legendary fish.
neidu3@sh.itjust.works · 73 pts · 202d
Can confirm. I was working as an Uber driver at the time of the killing, and clearly remember delivering a pizza to a guy named Luigi and a surprisingly kinky fish-shaped sex toy to a guy with the username Gullible. They were both playing Stardew Valley.
Fedizen@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 202d
I was watching a streamer and saw this all happening in the background of their livestream
musubibreakfast@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 202d
I can confirm, I was the fish shaped sex toy.
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 12 pts · 202d
ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com · 122 pts · 202d
Luigi is innocent anyway
BillyClark@piefed.social · 71 pts · 202d
Even in the completely off-chance that he wasn't, we don't give the death penalty to first-time murderers who committed one murder and no other crimes. No, the death penalty is for fishermen who are suspected of smuggling drugs.
s1ndr0m3@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 202d
suspectedaccusedphoenixz@lemmy.ca · 21 pts · 202d
thermal_shock@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 202d
We are luigi mangione
0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 201d
This is the way
sik0fewl@piefed.ca · 116 pts · 202d
_wizard@lemmy.world · 93 pts · 202d
Probably not a good thing.
Taldan@lemmy.world · 90 pts · 202d
IANAL, but that's surprising to me. He wasn't read his rights at the time, and there were chain of custory issues
Any lawyers know if it's common for evidence to be allowed in situations like with Luigi?
DrFunkenstein@sh.itjust.works · 43 pts · 202d
Some lawyers made a video explaining that if the evidence was likely to have been found in a legal search anyways, it can usually still be admitted. I also ANAL
tomiant@piefed.social · 29 pts · 202d
Doesn't that kind of go directly against the purpose of lawful searches?
ohulancutash@feddit.uk · 12 pts · 202d
It would be expected that he would be read his rights and the bag searched in due course. It wasn’t like they looked in a random person’s bag then decided to arrest him.
If the purpose of lawful searches is to prevent police from harassing just anyone on the off-chance, that purpose is still intact here.
moody@lemmings.world · 20 pts · 202d
The issue is that a key piece of evidence that should have been a very obvious find at first glance wasn't found at the scene, but only later after the officer had stopped searching the bag and driven to the police station.
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -2 pts · 201d
You would need to produce reasonable suspicion of tampering with the evidence to have it removed as evidence. Some random local cops in buttfuck nowhere wouldn't need to frame the murder of a New York private healthcare CEO on some schmuck, and there is other related evidence from Luigi's computer and banking records which help legitimize the evidence in the bag.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 201d
I thought it was like Uno rules: if someone calls you out before you read them their Miranda Rights, you have to toss all your evidence...
Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 201d
Heh Anal
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 202d
TheAsianDonKnots@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 202d
Ok, but why start by saying you like it in the butt?
diegantobass@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 202d
That's a good question.
orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 202d
Curious! Hmmm...
Sarothazrom@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 202d
IANAL, but, HINAL.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 202d
It’s pertinent information for any exchange.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 202d
Are you saying you don't like it in the butt?
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 200d
You're assuming Bottom, he might be Top.
village604@adultswim.fan · 29 pts · 202d
It depends. It gives the defense a chance to destroy their case in front of a jury.
They now get to show the jury the unlawful search, the turned off body cam during the search, and the broken chain of evidence.
TheLowestStone@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
That sounds like reasonable doubt to me.
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -1 pts · 201d
Pretty sure the files used to print the gun mod are on Luigi's computer, and the cash was probably from his own accounts. We will see, though.
arrow74@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 202d
Well that is bullshit, but gives good grounds for an appeal later
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -2 pts · 201d
It's funny seeing people simultaneously say "these charges are bullshit" and also "jury nullification can free him" because the jury nullification bit acknowledges he would be found guilty with the evidence presented.
arrow74@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 201d
So i think it's accurate to say there are some real doubts he did it (eyebrows don't match) There are also some issues with the collection of evidence. Then you have a little bit of memeing.
There's a good chance that the evidence presented could convince a jury he did do it. But they still have the option to nullify.
Honestly I've haven't seen one person state both those views in the same comment. I think you should interpret what you're seeing as people having different opinions to arrive at the same outcome. That outcome being luigi going free
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -5 pts · 201d
Those were definitely his ridiculous eyebrows lmfao don't lie
arrow74@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 201d
Disagree, this may blow your mind but we can draw different conclusions without either of us lying to the other.
Also truthfully I don't care if he did do it. He should go free either way
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -7 pts · 201d
I think he should go to prison for life, unless proven reformed after a couple of decades. I say this for two reasons: He definitely did the crime, and his freedom is inconsequential to anybody else.
Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world · 60 pts · 202d
Blackfeathr@lemmy.world · 52 pts · 202d
Finally, some good fucking news
village604@adultswim.fan · 35 pts · 202d
Not really since the obviously planted evidence with a broken chain of custody is allowed to be presented at trial.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 22 pts · 202d
Is it a jury trail where the defence can seed reasonable doubt on the obvious chain of custody issues?
Inucune@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
Jury nullification. The jury can all just decide not guilty and go to lunch. They get their jury duty paychecks in the mail.
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -4 pts · 201d
Luigi has requested trial by jury and plead innocent.
The files on his computer to print his "untraceable" gun mod, and his banking records, will likely show that no reasonable doubt exists.
rumba@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 202d
Nah, still good news. Getting off OJ style would be really good news, baby steps.
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · -5 pts · 201d
Yes, maybe people can stop trying to martyr this libertarian douchebag once he's in prison.
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 47 pts · 202d
Evil empire full of child killing pedofiles trying to kill the man who showed us the only way out ….im surprised people aren’t more pissed
lofuw@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 201d
A lot of his support is being censored by the corporations we keep sucking off.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 46 pts · 201d
Obviously. No innocent person should get the death penalty.
CH3DD4R_G0BL1N@sh.itjust.works · 38 pts · 201d
What a strange requirement for a murder charge
Doorbook@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 201d
Yes very interesting detail.
Ulvain@sh.itjust.works · 31 pts · 202d
But Jonathan Ross should (I'm actually against the death penalty, even for those ice murderers, just venting)
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net · 19 pts · 201d
It's hard to not think this way when people like Renée Good and Alex Pretti were effectively sentenced to death, with no trial.
I agree that venting can be quite cathartic, and I respect the fact that you make it clear that you are just venting. I think drawing those kinds of boundaries for yourself can help to prevent you from slipping into genuinely believing these things.
stressballs@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 201d
But we can all agree Charlie Kirk cashed a check he himself wrote?
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 201d
ERIKA sure did after his death.
Tonava@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 201d
orbitz@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 202d
Know the feeling, venting can be carthatic. I feel similarly as much as I don't think anyone's life should be taken without their consent so just a dwelling reaction to the entire situation that I don't think is right, my reaction or the situation to be clear.
Goretantath@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 202d
Shouldn't have been on the table in the first place.
jordanlund@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 202d
"The judge disagreed, finding the stalking charges did not amount to “crimes of violence” and dismissed two counts in Mangione’s federal case – the murder charge and a related firearm offense.
“The analysis contained in the balance of this Opinion may strike the average person – and indeed many lawyers and judges – as tortured and strange, and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law,” Judge Margaret Garnett wrote in her ruling. “But it represents the Court’s committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges in this case.” "
Supreme Court: "Not like this..."
ceenote@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 202d
"Shit, when we wrote the laws to subtly favor us, we were too subtle"
Feathercrown@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 201d
LETS GOOO
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 202d
The 1984 crime control act is kind of interesting. It was written to walk a line and really limit the death penalty for federal cases. The death penalty requires murder to be stacked with something like robbery, kidnapping, mob shit, etc.
Even though a premeditated murder would be considered a violent crime, the crime control act requires premeditated murder to be sandwiched within another violent crime to unlock the death penalty as a punishment option.
This is one of those things that appears to go right up to the line, but the judge ruled on precedent.
Makeitstop@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 202d
Not a lawyer and haven't read the law, but it seems logical that "stalking" isn't a separate crime from premeditated murder when it's just determining the location of the target and traveling to reach the target.
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 202d
Yeah. I do find it interesting that the crime control act from the 80’s has a lower punishment tier for a la carte premeditated murder. I wonder what the logic was behind that.
Maybe it’s there to reduce the risk of executing people who are innocent? A defendant has to be found guilty on two violent offenses, which is a higher bar for prosecutors to clear.
I’m not a big fan of the death penalty, but the history nerd in me is mildly curious about why this act was drafted in this way.
waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 202d
Understanding the Scope of Stalking Conduct
The federal statute defines the prohibited action as a “course of conduct,” requiring a pattern of behavior made up of two or more acts over time. A single, isolated incident of unwanted contact is not sufficient to meet the elements of the federal crime
Source: https://legalclarity.org/what-is-18-u-s-c-1801-federal-interstate-stalking-laws/
Could he get off since it only happened once?
Taldan@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 202d
I wonder how that applies in the digital age
If someone is using press briefs to digitally follow where someone is, does that count?
waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 202d
Yeah wishful thinking, following him online probably counts as multiple instances.
LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 201d
Wahoo!
NarrativeBear@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 199d
Unless it's a pre-existing condition...
janny@lemmy.org · -40 pts · 201d
Avicenna@programming.dev · 8 pts · 201d
wow this account joined one hour ago and repeatedly spams the same message everywhere including unrelated topics. Sure you are not a bot. Can't believe how much the rich hate this guy lol.
TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d
Nice try United Health.