Luigi Mangione's trial in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is effectively on hold, a judge ruled Thursday.
The judge said because Mangione remains in custody on federal and state charges in New York and he refuses to appear in court remotely, the Pennsylvania case essentially will not move forward until he can appear in person.
Federal officials have not allowed him to be transferred for court appearances in Pennsylvania while his case in New York plays out. That suggests Mangione may not face his Pennsylvania trial until after his federal case is concluded.
The judge gave Mangione and his defense attorneys 14 days to file a formal request for an in-person hearing or to reconsider appearing remotely.
Mangione has asserted his right to appear in person
Mangione was scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania court on Nov. 7 but the hearing was canceled after his defense team asserted his right to appear in person for his court hearings. The federal government had denied his request to appear in Blair County, making him available to attend remotely instead.
As a result, that hearing was put on hold and the court must now be updated every 60 days on his ability to appear.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Penn. on Dec. 9, 2024. He faces several charges there, including carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, tampering with records or identification, false identification to law enforcement, and possessing instruments of crime, according to the criminal complaint.
He faces additional federal charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty, and state murder and weapons charges in the killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last winter.
The shooting prompted a dayslong manhunt for Thompson's killer, stretching through Central Park to a hostel on the Upper West Side and, ultimately, a McDonald's in Altoona.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty, and his defense had the New York state terrorism charges against him thrown out.
