New York prosecutors sought Friday to keep their murder case going against Luigi Mangione, arguing that his federal guilty plea shouldn't end a separate, state-court case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The state and federal prosecutions center on  different harms, different evils, different purposes, different crimes,  Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann and colleagues wrote in a court filing.

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Mangione's defense lawyers are trying to get the state murder and weapons charges thrown out, citing double jeopardy. It's the legal precept that broadly prevents a person from being repeatedly prosecuted for the same crime, though the particulars can be complicated and disputed when different courts are involved.

In response to prosecutors' filing Friday, Mangione's attorneys pointed to their own previous court papers arguing that the state and federal governments are  prosecuting the same man twice for the same event. 


A ruling is expected in late autumn.

At stake is whether Mangione will continue to face a trial in a New York state court in Manhattan and, potentially, how much prison time he will serve if he's convicted. He's already looking at the likelihood of a lengthy federal sentence. A state conviction, if there is one, could add more time.

The Manhattan prosecutors argue that double jeopardy doesn't apply to Mangione's situation. Though their case and the federal prosecution both concern Thompson's December 2024 killing, the Manhattan prosecutors contend that the specific charges involve different legal elements and criminal conduct.

Mangione pleaded guilty in August to federal stalking and cyberstalking charges, admitting in court that he traveled across state lines to New York to kill Thompson and then shot him from behind on a Manhattan street. The 28-year-old said he gunned for the CEO after experiencing years of severe back pain and  navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system. 

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