A New York state judge just dismissed two terrorism-related charges against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old man accused of killing health insurance executive Brian Thompson. Justice Gregory Carro made the ruling because prosecutors didn’t present enough evidence to prove Mangione acted with the intent to intimidate health insurance workers or influence government policy, which is what’s needed to prove murder as an act of terrorism.
While this is a pretty huge development in the case, it doesn’t mean Mangione is off the hook entirely. He still faces a second-degree murder charge and eight other criminal counts, and he could still get life in prison if he is convicted of murder. Despite the dismissal of the state-level terrorism charges, Mangione is also facing a separate federal indictment for the killing of Thompson.
