Judge pushes Luigi Mangione's federal trial to January after stuck elevator delays him to court

Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News on Jun 29, 2026

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NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione got stuck in an elevator on the way to his federal court appearance on Monday, where the delays only continued as a judge pushed back his stalking trial to early 2027.

The suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was around 20 minutes late to the hearing “due to elevator problems” inside the Thurgood Marshall courthouse overlooking Foley Square, a court official told the Daily News.

Once U.S. Marshals got Mangione to the courtroom, Manhattan Federal Judge Margaret Garnett said she had decided to adjourn his federal trial to Jan. 5, as Nov. 4 was no longer feasible because Mangione’s state murder trial was starting across the street on Sept. 8 and could still be in progress.

“It’s simply impossible for us to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied,” the judge said.

Referencing the “dueling prosecutions,” Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, leading Mangione’s defense, told the court that his lawyers may have last-minute additions to the jury selection questionnaire, contingent on the outcome of the state trial.

“We might ask the court to include other questions,” the attorney said, “depending on how that goes.”

Mangione, of Maryland, is accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown on Dec. 4, 2024, in a violent protest of the U.S. health insurance industry.

In the federal case, the 28-year-old faces stalking offenses that allege he tracked the healthcare executive for weeks in late 2024. He is no longer charged with the capital offense of murder through the use of a firearm after Garnett dismissed it in January, finding the top count was legally unsupported by the other charges.

In his state case, Mangione is charged with second-degree murder and related charges carrying 25 years to life in prison.

Mangione wore khaki-colored prison clothing and was not shackled at Monday’s brief proceeding, which lasted about 20 minutes. He was seen quietly conferring with his lawyers and appeared focused. His attorneys declined to comment.

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