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The lawyers agreed in a letter to the court that the deadline to
bring an indictment against Luigi Mangione can be extended from
Jan. 18 to Feb. 17.
Mangione, 26, is now charged in a criminal complaint, a document
that is lodged against individuals prior to the return of an
indictment.
Prosecutors said they consulted with the defense and agreed that
extending the deadline was necessary “to permit both parties
adequate preparation for pretrial proceedings and the trial
itself.”
Lawyers for Mangione and federal prosecutors declined to
comment.
The case is unusual because at least one charge carries the
possibility of the death penalty, but whether to pursue that
penalty must be made by the Justice Department in Washington,
where top officials will be changed as President-elect Donald
Trump takes office later this month.
Authorities say Mangione fatally shot Brian Thompson on Dec. 4
as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown
Manhattan.
The killing shocked the business community and galvanized some
health insurance critics. Mangione posted frequently online
about his struggles with back pain, though he was never a
UnitedHealthcare client.
Federal charges against Mangione include murder and firearms
counts. He made an initial appearance on the charges late last
month. He won't be required to enter a plea until an indictment
is returned.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty in a New York state court to
multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of
terrorism. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on
parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial
first. His next appearance in state court is scheduled for Feb.
21.
The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison
without parole.
Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s
following a five-day search. He's being held in a Brooklyn
federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants,
including Sean “Diddy” Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam
Bankman-Fried.
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