People v. Mangione

2025 NY Slip Op 33323(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedSeptember 16, 2025
DocketInd. No. 75657-24
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 33323(U) (People v. Mangione) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Mangione, 2025 NY Slip Op 33323(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

People v Mangione 2025 NY Slip Op 33323(U) September 16, 2025 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Ind. No. 75657-24 Judge: Gregory Carro Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEWYORKCOLNTY: PART32 -------------------------.-\ THEPEOPLE OF THE STATE OFNEW YORK :

-against- DECISION AND ORDER Ind. 75657-24 LUIGI MANGIONE. Detbndant.

x JUSTICE GREGORY CARRO:

On December 4,2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death

outside of the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan. Video surveillance captured a man wearing a mask, dressed in black and carrying a backpack, drawing a gun and shooting Thompson in the

back and the leg. Video also established that belore the shooting, the man drank from a water

bottle and threw it in a nearby trash can, that he dropped a cellphone as he fled the scene, and that

he discarded the backpack in Central Park. Investigators recovered ballistics evidence from the

scene, including three shell casings, on which "depose," "delay," and "den"r had been written.

Investigators were able to trace the shooter's movements to a hostel in Upper Manhattan, where he had registered using the name and identification of "Mark Rosario," and they also found

evidence that he took a train to Philadelphia following the murder.r

On December 9,2024, the defendant was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona,

Pennsylvania, after he was recognized by employees who had seen media coverage. A nine-

millimeter gun was recovered irom the defendant's backpack. as well as ammunition. a silencer, a fake New Jersey driver's license in the name of Mark Rosario. cash, a passport, and a notebook

in which the defendant had made joumal entries. There were also two letters in the backpack, one

addressed to his family and one to the FBI. Ballistics analysis demonstrated that the shell casings

recovered at the scene were fired by the gun found in the def'endant's backpack. DNA analysis

also established that defendant's DNA was on the water bottle found at the scene. and on the

I Likely intended to read "deny."

'?Video surveillance footage showed the man without a mask, both at the hostel and at locations before the shooting occurred. Photos ofthe suspect circulated on national media.

[* 1] cellphone and backpack discarded by the shooter. Det'endant's fingerprints were also found on

the water bottle and on a Kind bar wrapper found near the scene.

Defendant was indicted tbr Murder in the First Degree (PL $ 125.27 (i) (a) (xiii)) (victim

killed in ''furtherance ofan act of terrorism," as defined in PL $ 490.05), Murder in the Second Degree as a Crime ofTerrorism (PL $$ 125.25 (1);490.25), Murder in the Second Degree (PL g

125.25 (1)) (intentional), two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree

(PL S$ 265.03 (l) (b), 265.03 (3)), Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (PL Q 265.02 (7)), two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (PL $ 265.02 (8)), Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (PL $ 265.02 (2)), Criminal Possession ofa Weapon in the Fourth Degree (PL $ 265.01 (9)), and Criminal Possession ofa ,l70.25). Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (PL $

Defendant has filed an omnibus motion, seeking Huntley, Mapp. and Mosley hear\ngs. The defendant also moves to dismiss the terrorism charges as legally insufficient, moves to

dismiss the entire indictment for alleged violations of the Double Jeopardy clause, and argues

that the state case should be stayed pending resolution of a concurrent federal case.3 The People

have filed a response. consenting to pre-trial hearings, and opposing the motions to dismiss and

to stay the proceedings. The defendant has additionally filed a reply to the People's response, and the People have filed a sur-reply. The court has reviewed all submissions and decides as follows:

Suppression Hearings: Huntley, Mapp and, Mosley hearings are ordered. Motions to Dismiss: Defendant's motion to inspect the grand jury minutes for legal sufficiency pursuant to

CPL S 210.30 (2) is granted. The standard ofreview for legal sufficiency is whether there is "competent evidence which, ifaccepted as true, would establish every element ofan offense

charged and the defendant's commission thereof." CPL $ 70.10(l). Legally sufficient evidence

means a prima facie case, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. People v Sv,amp,84 NY2d 725,

730 (1995). A court must consider "'whether the evidence viewed in the light most favorable to

rDefendant was indicted in the Southem District ofNew York for murder, stalking, and firearms charges based upon the same incident. The federal prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalt),.

[* 2] the People. ifunexplained and uncontradicted, would warant conviction by a petit jury."' People

v. Bello,92 NY2d 523,525-26 (1998) (quoting People v. Jennings,69 NY2d 103, 114 (1986).

Penal Law provisions are generally to be construed so as to give efl'ect to their natural and

obvious meaning, particularly where the definition of a crime is at issue, because courts must be

"scrupulous in insuring that penal responsibility is not 'extended beyond the fair scope of the statutory mandate."' People v. Hedgemon, T0 NY2d 533,537 (1987) (quoting People v. Wood,8 NY2d48,sl (1960). Here, defendant argues that there is legally insufficient evidence of first-degree murder

(atleging that the victim was killed in "furtherance ofan act of terrorism"), and of second-degree

murder as a crime of terrorism, and urges that the court dismiss those two counts of the

indictment. Defendant argues that both legislative intent and case law demonstrate that defendant's actions do not fit within the statute and that the People did not present legally sufficient evidence ofthose counts. The People argue that both counts are legally sufficient, and that terroristic intent was established because the defendant was not engaged in a "personal vendetta," but "violently broadcast a social and political message" that "inspired" threats to

employees oi UHC.

New York's terrorism statute, set forlh in article 490 of the Penal Law, was enacted on September 17, 2001. just six days after the September I I attacks. The Legislature was able to act so quickly because it "liberally bonowed" from already-existing federal legislation. See

Greenberg & Yurowitz, Analyzing New York's Anti-Terrorism Stdt te, NYLJ, May 13,2002; see

also People v. Morales,20 NY3d 240,248 (2012) (definitional provisions of statute drawn from federal legislation; legislature was able to act quickly because ofthe "'model provided by

existing federal antiterrorism Iegislation"') (quoting Greenberg et al., Ne), York Criminal Lcrw $ 39:1). The "legislative findings" state that the "devastating consequences ofthe recent barbaric

attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon" establish a "compelling need" for legislation "designed to combat the evils of terrorism." PL $ 490.00. The examples of tenorism cited in the

legislative findings are l) the September 11, 2001 attacks, 2) the bombings olAmerican embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, 3) the destruction ofthe Oklahoma City federal office

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Related

People v. Bello
705 N.E.2d 1209 (New York Court of Appeals, 1998)
People v. Swamp
646 N.E.2d 774 (New York Court of Appeals, 1995)
Currier v. Virginia
585 U.S. 493 (Supreme Court, 2018)
Gamble v. United States
587 U.S. 678 (Supreme Court, 2019)
People v. Morales
982 N.E.2d 580 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
People v. Jennings
69 N.Y.2d 103 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
People v. Jenner
39 A.D.3d 1083 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)

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