RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Attorneys for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York in 2024, are meeting federal prosecutors on Friday amid US media reports about a potential plea agreement.
Mangione faces two federal stalking crimes that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole, but it was not immediately clear which charges are under discussion.
"There's a conference scheduled for 11 am on Friday, and that's all we can say at this time," Jamie McDonald, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), said this week.
Mangione also faces a separate state trial in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases.
Discussion of a plea deal does not guarantee one will be reached, and such arrangements can fall apart. Any deal must also be approved by the court.
Federal prosecutors brought the stalking charges against Mangione for allegedly travelling, and using surveillance, to kill Thompson.
A federal judge threw out two other charges in January, one of which carried the death penalty as a possible sentence.
Mangione's attorneys, the SDNY, and Manhattan District Attorney's office did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
His attorneys have previously argued he should not be tried in both state and federal court. At the moment, the judges presiding over both cases have allowed the trials to proceed.
But if Mangione pleads guilty in his federal case, it could open the door for his attorneys to argue the state case runs afoul of double jeopardy – a constitutional protection that prevents an individual from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.
New York's state constitution has its own prohibition on double jeopardy, which, if invoked here, could have a knock-on effect on Mangione's upcoming state trial.
"If a federal prosecution has been completed on a matter, the state cannot prosecute the matter on those same facts," said Mitchell Epner, a white-collar attorney and former federal prosecutor.
Mangione's state trial is scheduled to begin on 8 September, while the federal trial is listed for January 2027.
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