Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty if convicted of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge has ruled. US District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed two of the four federal charges against the 27-year-old, including murder through use of a firearm, which carried the potential death sentence. Mangione was arrested days after he allegedly shot Thompson as he was walking into a conference on a busy Manhattan street in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including the two remaining federal counts of stalking and separate state murder charges. Jury selection in the federal trial is slated to begin on September 8 with opening statements starting on October 13. However, state prosecutors are seeking to try Mangione as soon as July. In her ruling, Judge Garnett stated that two of the four federal charges did not 'meet the federal statutory definition of a 'crime of violence'' as a matter of law. She asserted that her decision was 'solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury' ultimately responsible for determining Mangione's conviction. Furthermore, Garnett allowed prosecutors to feature evidence from Mangione's seized backpack, which contained a ghost gun, fake IDs, and writings reflecting his grievances with the healthcare system. Defense attorneys sought to dismiss this evidence, arguing it was obtained through illegal search. Mangione faces nine charges in a separate state case, including second-degree murder.