Why the terror-related murder charges against Luigi Mangione fell apart

The Manhattan district attorney’s terrorism case against Luigi Mangione fell apart on Tuesday, as a New York judge found the evidence had not established he committed a terroristic act by allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.

The decision to dismiss the two top charges against Mangione – murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism – marked a victory for the 27-year-old. Still, he faces a count of second-degree murder that could result in a sentence of 25 years to life, if convicted, and a separate federal death penalty prosecution.

“There was no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups,” Judge Gregory Carro wrote in his decision Tuesday.

The killing of Brian Thompson was “very different,” he said, from the examples of terrorism laid out in the New York statute prosecutors cited to charge Mangione with terror-related murder charges, in part because his alleged act targeted just a single person.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/luigi-mangione-returns-state-court-080005296.html