Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.
The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.
The judge dismissed the murder charge because it requires that the killing was committed during another “crime of violence.” Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.
The judge disagreed, finding stalking charges are not “crimes of violence” and dismissed two counts in his federal case – murder and a related firearm offense.
Understanding the Scope of Stalking Conduct
The federal statute defines the prohibited action as a “course of conduct,” requiring a pattern of behavior made up of two or more acts over time. A single, isolated incident of unwanted contact is not sufficient to meet the elements of the federal crime
Source: https://legalclarity.org/what-is-18-u-s-c-1801-federal-interstate-stalking-laws/
Could he get off since it only happened once?
I wonder how that applies in the digital age
If someone is using press briefs to digitally follow where someone is, does that count?
Yeah wishful thinking, following him online probably counts as multiple instances.