New York Judge Tosses Terrorism Charges Against Luigi Mangione, Lets Murder Count Stand

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 21: Luigi Mangione appears at a hearing for the murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson at Manhattan Criminal Court on February 21, 2025 in New York City. Mangione is accused of slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year and is making his first appearance on state charges of murder as an act of terrorism. He is facing 11 counts for the Dec. 4 shooting of Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel which set off a massive manhunt. He is also facing federal charges of murder and other charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested. (Photo by Curtis Means – Pool/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has dismissed terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in New York state’s case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but he kept the state’s second-degree murder charges against him. Judge Gregory Carro ruled Tuesday that although there is no doubt that the killing was not an ordinary street crime, New York law doesn’t consider something terrorism simply because it was motivated by ideology. The ruling came as Mangione made his 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 after Thompson was fatally shot in Manhattan in December.