AP reports legal counsel will argue the New York case and a parallel federal death penalty prosecution amount to double jeopardy.
Also to be decided: a trial date and whether the state case or federal case will go first. The AP report details the circumstances that have led to Tuesday’s proceedings:
It’s Mangione’s first court appearance in the state case since February. The 27-year-old Ivy League graduate has attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations with the health insurance industry. Dozens of his supporters showed up to his last hearing, many wearing the Luigi video game character’s green color as a symbol of solidarity. His April arraignment in the federal case drew a similar outpouring.
If Judge Gregory Carro permits the state case to go forward, Mangione’s lawyers have said they want him to dismiss terrorism charges and bar prosecutors from using evidence collected during Mangione’s arrest last December, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities say he described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive.
The AP report also states prosecutors want the judge to force Mangione’s lawyers to state whether they’ll pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence of any mental disease or defect he may have.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing.
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Following the shooting, authorities with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) described Thompson’s death as an apparent “brazen targeted attack,” Breitbart News reported December 4.
Video footage shows the chilling moment Thompson was fatally shot.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
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