Luigi Manzone's lawyers demanded the complete dismissal of state charges against him because he pleaded guilty at the federal level last week, arguing that he could not be tried twice for the same facts.
Judge Gregory Carro, who works in the New York State Supreme Court, set a new schedule to allow both sides to discuss this issue, thereby postponing the trial originally set for September 8th.
Manzone, 28, is accused of murdering Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in 2024. It is alleged that the murder was committed in retaliation against the American health insurance system after many years of back pain.
Previously, during the federal proceedings, he, charged with acts of harassment related to stalking his victim, first admitted to shooting her with a firearm.
He stated during the plea process: 'On the morning of December 4th, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,' adding that he knew his actions were 'illegal.' His sentence in this case will be handed down on December 18th, with the District Attorney's office stating its intention to seek life imprisonment.
In the United States, defendants can be tried for the same crime at both the state level where the events occurred and the federal level. However, the charges, as in Manzone's case, are usually distinct.
This case has deeply divided American public opinion, which is already highly polarized. Conservatives, supported by President Donald Trump, condemned it as a cold-blooded murder, while Manzone's supporters view him as a fighter against health insurers, whom they accuse of prioritizing profit over medical care.
During hearings on Friday, someone shouted, 'America loves Luigi,' causing Brian Thompson's relatives to leave the courtroom.
After his escape, Manzone was apprehended in Hollow, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024, according to staff at the restaurant where he was located.
According to prosecutors, about ten days before the crime, he arrived in New York by bus from Atlanta, Georgia (South).
He rented a room in a youth hostel in Manhattan using fake documents and then conducted reconnaissance in the vicinity of the victim's hotel and the conference venue where the shooting took place. The crime was recorded by surveillance cameras.
After his arrest, agents searched him and examined his personal belongings, among which a pistol and a silencer were found. Manzone admitted last week in court that he used a 3D printer to manufacture the firearm and equipped it with a silencer and magazine. A three-page handwritten document, which mentioned his 'hostility towards American companies,' was also seized during the arrest.