Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, are trying to get some of the charges dropped. One of those charges could mean the death penalty.
Mangione, who is 27, was arrested last year for the murder of Thompson. His lawyers filed papers with a judge in New York asking to dismiss certain charges. They say that prosecutors haven’t shown that Mangione did anything besides stalking that would justify the death penalty.
The lawyers also say that when police arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s, they didn’t have a search warrant to look through his backpack. They believe any evidence found in the backpack should not be used in court.
Inside the backpack, police found a gun, bullets, a fake ID, and a written statement.
The lawyers also claim that police didn’t read Mangione his rights before questioning him, so anything he said to them shouldn’t be used against him.
Thompson was shot and killed in December outside a hotel in New York City.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently being held in jail in Brooklyn, New York.
A hearing is scheduled for December 5 to set a date for the trial.
