Luigi Mangione gets stuck in elevator as judge delays his federal trial until January

By — Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press By — Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Larry Neumeister, Associated Press By — Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/luigi-mangione-gets-stuck-in-elevator-as-judge-delays-his-federal-trial-until-january Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Luigi Mangione gets stuck in elevator as judge delays his federal trial until January Nation Jun 29, 2026 5:13 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione's federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will now begin in January instead of the fall, a judge said Monday at a hearing that started late because Mangione got stuck in a courthouse elevator. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said she was postponing the federal trial so Mangione's lawyers can focus on his state murder trial, which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Jury selection in the federal case will begin on Jan. 5, instead of Oct. 13, followed by opening statements and testimony on Jan. 25, instead of Nov. 4, Garnett said at a hearing in Manhattan. Garnett said she will not release the questionnaire that prospective jurors will be required to fill out until after the panel is chosen. Having it circulating online for months before jury selection "would only make what promises to be a difficult task more difficult," she said. Wearing a beige jail suit, Mangione looked bemused as a pair of deputy U.S. Marshals led him into the courtroom about 20 minutes after the hearing was supposed to start. He briefly gazed at the courtroom gallery, where about two dozen of his supporters were sitting. "Mangione was late due to elevator problems," the court said in a statement. It was the second mishap involving Mangione's arrival to a court hearing in recent weeks. A June 16 hearing in the state case was delayed a day after prosecutors failed to inform his jail that he was needed in court. Garnett said she had hoped "with perhaps undue optimism" to hold the federal trial in the fall but that "we can no longer wait to see what happens" in the state case. "In my view it's simply impossible to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied by conducting the state trial," Garnett said. Mangione's lawyers declined to comment to reporters afterward. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing. He could spend his life in prison if convicted in either case. The 28-year-old Ivy League graduate appeared energetic and engaged during Monday's brief hearing. He watched intently at times, knitting his fingers and resting his chin on them. He spoke animatedly with his lawyers, Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo