Mangione’s State Trial Is Delayed as His Lawyers Seek Dismissal

Luigi Mangione’s murder trial in New York, which was scheduled to begin next month, will be postponed as he pushes to get the case dismissed, according to an order from the judge on Monday.

The judge, Gregory Carro, acted days after Mr. Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty to two federal counts of stalking that led to the death of Brian Thompson, a health care executive.

Mr. Mangione faced both state and federal charges in the death of Mr. Thompson, who was blockblockinated as he walked into a hotel for an investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024. Surveillance video showed a hooded figure emerge from between parked cars, point a gun toward Mr. Thompson and shoot him from behind.

In a courtroom statement on Friday, Mr. Mangione told a federal judge how he endured years of severe pain from a broken back. He talked about the obstacles of navigating health insurance, and how witnessing others going through similar experiences led him to track down and fatally shoot Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Mangione’s federal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges, including second-degree murder, and, if convicted, faces a sentence of 25 years to life.

His plea on Friday appeared to serve a dual purpose for Mr. Mangione. Within an hour of pleading guilty, his lawyers asked Justice Carro to dismiss his state charges because, they argued, the case now violates his protections against double jeopardy, which generally bars someone from being tried twice for the same offense.

In response, the Manhattan district attorney’s office, led by Alvin L. Bragg, said in a statement the office had been “tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction.”

“While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions,” the statement said.

Legal experts said Mr. Bragg’s office might be able to rescue the state case — or portions of it — using an exception to New York’s law where it could argue that its case is meant to address a very different kind of harm from the federal case.

Justice Carro ordered the office to file its response to Mr. Mangione’s dismissal motion on Oct. 9. The defense will get a chance to respond later that month before a hearing at the beginning of December.

If Mr. Mangione’s effort fails, his statements in federal court could be admissible in his state case, according to legal experts.