The suspected killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was back in court Tuesday to hear a decision on New York state charges.
Here's a look at what happened and what comes next in the case against Luigi Mangione.
What Happened: Mangione faces state and federal charges for the alleged killing of Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024.
Thompson was the former CEO of United Healthcare, a unit of United Health Group (NYSE:UNH).
On Tuesday, New York state Judge Gregory Carro dropped terrorism charges against Mangione.
“While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,' and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal," Carro said in a written decision, as reported by the Associated Press.
Carro said there was not enough evidence that Mangione's ideological motivation was terrorism by nature.
While the terrorism charges were dropped, the judge ruled there was enough evidence to keep second-degree murder charges against Mangione.
Carro said evidence shows Thompson's murder was "premeditated."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said they "will proceed on the remaining nine counts" and that they respect the decision of the court.
This marked the first court appearance for Mangione since February. Supporters of Mangione appeared in court and outside the courtroom Tuesday, with some wearing green like video game character Luigi to show their support.
Read Also: ‘Wack The CEO,’ United Health Care Murder Suspect Luigi Mangione Says In Papers Found By Police
What's Next: Carro scheduled pretrial hearings for the state case against Mangione for Dec. 1. Mangione previously pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder as an act of terrorism.
This comes only days before Mangione is expected in court for the federal case against him. A conference date of Dec. 5, 2025 has been set for the federal case, with a trial not set to begin before 2026.
Mangione's defense team argued against the planned date for the upcoming trial as the two dates are too close together. The defense team also argued that double jeopardy is in play with Mangione facing the same crimes in two cases.
The judge rejected these claims, saying it was premature at this point for the argument.
If Mangione is found guilty of the second-degree murder charge by the state of New York, he faces up to 15 years to life in prison, with the potential for parole after 25 years.
Mangione's federal charges include murder, with the potential for the death penalty if found guilty.
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