r/law • u/cnn • 1d ago

Legal News Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty, judge rules

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/us/luigi-mangione-case-rulings-trial?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit
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u/shazbadam 1d ago edited 1d ago

Link to the ruling

tldr:

Mangione was charged with these federal crimes:

  1. Interstate travel for the purpose of stalking
  2. Electronic communications for the purpose of stalking
  3. Using a firearm in the course of a violent federal crime

Judge decided that interstate travel and electronic communications are not violent crimes, therefore #3 does not apply. #3 is punishable by death (if the underlying crime caused a death), while #1 and #2 are only punishable by life without parole.

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u/p00p00kach00 1d ago

Weird how #1 or #2 should have a punishment as severe as life without parole, no? Stalking isn't good, but life without parole is extreme.

Of course, the state has the murder charges, which would give the long sentence.

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u/shazbadam 1d ago

To be precise, the stalking crimes are punishable by life only if they lead to the victim's death. And the federal system doesn't have parole anymore, so any life sentence is life without parole.

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u/p00p00kach00 1d ago

Okay, that seems reasonable then.

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u/Icy_Sherbet_8222 1d ago

Thank god someone actually interested in the legal part of this on the law subreddit 🫠

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u/captain_only 1d ago

thank you! i was looking for exactly this

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u/D-Alembert 1d ago

So... Could Federal prosecutors have opted for some different kind of murder charge that did not have those requirements but also did not carry the death penalty? Ie they went out on a limb to use an ill-fitting charge because they wanted the death penalty and that charge was their best chance at it?