Overview
- U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the defective federal count that enabled capital punishment, removing the death-penalty option in the case.
- The court kept federal stalking charges in place, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
- Garnett ruled that items seized from Mangione’s backpack—including a handgun, a loaded magazine and a red notebook—may be used as evidence at trial.
- A scheduling clash persists, with federal jury selection set for September 8 while Manhattan prosecutors have urged a July 1 start for the state trial.
- Security concerns flared this week after a 36-year-old man was arrested at the Brooklyn federal jail for posing as an FBI agent while attempting to free Mangione.