A federal judge on Friday ruled that Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty in his ongoing trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

U.S district judge Margaret Garnett, in a written court order, struck out counts three and four, which attracted a potential death sentence for Mr Mangione.

Ms Garnett stated that two of the four federal charges did not “meet the federal statutory definition of a ‘crime of violence’ as a matter of law.”

She added that her ruling was “solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury.

Ms Garnett added, “This case will proceed to trial on counts one and two, which charge the defendant with causing Brian Thompson’s death under two federal stalking laws. The potential maximum punishment for each of those offences is life in prison without parole.”

The judge’s ruling on Friday means Mr Mangione will not face the death penalty if found guilty of killing Mr Thompson.

In December 2024, Mr Mangione was arrested over the shooting of Mr Thompson on a busy Manhattan street.  However, Mangione, 27, had pleaded not guilty to murder.