Luigi Mangione trapped in elevator before federal trial hearing in New York
Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione was stuck in an elevator at a Manhattan courthouse before a key hearing. A judge set his federal trial for January 2026.
Mangione stuck in courthouse elevator as federal trial date set for January
Luigi Mangione was trapped in an elevator at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in lower Manhattan on Monday, delaying the start of a federal court hearing, NBC News reports, citing a court official familiar with the incident.
Mangione, who faces two counts of stalking in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, remained shackled at both hands and feet while building engineers worked to free him. He arrived in the courtroom more than 30 minutes late, entering through a door normally reserved for the judge and wearing a tan prison uniform — an entrance that drew immediate attention in a packed courtroom.
At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett announced that jury selection for Mangione's federal trial will begin on 5 January, with opening statements scheduled for 25 January. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.
The federal proceedings had originally been planned for the autumn, but scheduling conflicts arose with Mangione's separate state murder trial, which is set to begin on 8 September. In the state case, he faces a charge of second-degree murder and several counts related to criminal possession of a weapon.
"In my view, it's simply impossible to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied by conducting the state trial," Garnett said.
Late last week, reports emerged that Mangione had been in discussions with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal. Those talks have since fallen apart, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A central focus of Monday's hearing was how to select an impartial jury given the extensive media coverage and public interest surrounding the case. Garnett outlined a detailed screening process in which written questionnaires will be distributed to hundreds of prospective jurors ahead of in-person questioning.
The questionnaires will focus on potential bias, while in-person questioning will gather biographical information — including age, place of residence and occupation. Prosecutors had objected to a number of questions proposed by the defence, arguing that inquiries into prospective jurors' religious practices, family details and views of the health insurance industry were unnecessary or overly intrusive.
Garnett said the goal of the voir dire process was to identify bias, not to "design a bespoke jury of your choosing," stressing the need to balance fairness with juror privacy. The jury will consist of 12 jurors and six alternates.
The two federal stalking counts carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mangione has pleaded not guilty. He is represented by attorneys Karen Agnifilo, her husband Marc Agnifilo, and Jacob Kaplan.
Source: Google News MT