I heard that (for some reason or another) that he would get only 25 to 30 years. So I can't imagine why he would possibly not get life.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
I heard that (for some reason or another) that he would get only 25 to 30 years. So I can't imagine why he would possibly not get life.

What he pled to can go as high as life, some expectation that pleading may knock it down some. My guess is he’ll get 40-50. Evidently in fed system, gotta serve minimum of 85% (34-43 years). Judge evidently used to be DOJ Prosecutor, hopefully will lean towards the higher range.

It seems his crime was so bad it qualifies for the death penalty, but I'm not hearing any talk of capital punishment. How the hell worse does it need to be but for murdering an innocent person by stalking them from behind and shooting them in the back point blank ?

The appropriate sentence is execution.

This trial was on Federal charges. The Wall Street Journal has been covering the trial and pointed out that murder is a difficult crime to prove under Federal law and the judge dismissed that. The man is still facing a state murder charge. It’s also been reported in several sources that the defense chose to plead guilty to the Federal charge in hopes of avoiding the state charge on double jeopardy grounds: tried and convicted once for an offense, cannot be tried again.

I won’t look it up because it’s so easy for anyone who is actually interested to do it themselves and I might trigger someone with an AI response, but as I recall double jeopardy does not apply if the charges are different (stalking versus murder) and tried in different courts (Federal versus state). But in a case like this, that’s about all the defense can do: challenge it on double jeopardy grounds and hope some court will agree with them.

New York doesn't have the death penalty, even as an option, so maybe they're going through the motions in case any of the other charges get tossed.
Even life, in New York, likely could allow some sort of earlier release possibilities.
Let's hope no future President is able to provide a pardon for this egomaniac POS.

The rationale by which the federal court concluded that this did not meet terrorism criteria, and the fact that NY only charged second degree murder, and the opinions of some legal experts that a NYC jury is less than 50% likely to convict - that is what amazes me most.

If he pleas to the federal charges and the state charges are dropped is there any way he can file an appeal on the guilty plea? A quick Google search say there are limited avenues for appeals and most federal pleas have an appeal waiver.

quote:

"It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes, and as the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. "Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target. The suspect fled first on foot, then on an e-bike, and was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive."

All of the above circumstances indicate that the murder was an organized, professional hit. The gunman likely knew that Thompson was not staying at the Hilton but would be walking into the Hilton between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. Note that this is fairly precise intelligence.

Luigi Mangione knew what he was doing. He planned it, he layed in waiting, and he thought he was smart enough to get away with it.

It was murder. Life in prison should be the minimum. He deserves the death penalty, though he won't get it.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
If he pleas to the federal charges and the state charges are dropped is there any way he can file an appeal on the guilty plea? A quick Google search say there are limited avenues for appeals and most federal pleas have an appeal waiver.

No, judge made it very clear the guilty plea could not be rescinded in the future. Also required allocution to each element of the crime and acknowledge no deal or offer of reduced sentence has been made. Judge also noted his demeanor and understanding of the process which would refute any claims of not understanding the process so that is all in the court record which would be pretty hard for any appeals court to ignore.

He willingly and knowingly confessed in federal court to the stalking and murder, judge made sure to dot all the “i”s and cross all the “t”s I can’t see how even the most liberal of judges could try and explain a way to negate or remand it back for review.

when is his sentencing date.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
when is his sentencing date.

Dec 18

What do we think is the rationale behind pushing out a sentencing date all the way until 12/18 ?

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
What do we think is the rationale behind pushing out a sentencing date all the way until 12/18 ?

100% normal in the Federal world. A presentence report is mandatory and those take time to investigate & compose. Among other things, the USPO will calculate the preliminary "sentence range" using the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Ultimate discretion in sentencing rests with the judge- he can stay within the guideline range (which is presumed to be a "reasonable" sentence if there is any appeal on that aspect), depart downward, or depart upward (up to the maximum statutory penalty).

I've seen boring, straightforward sentencings continued for more than a year. I doubt that'll be the case here.

quote:

Originally posted by ScotP7:
The rationale by which the federal court concluded that this did not meet terrorism criteria, and the fact that NY only charged second degree murder, and the opinions of some legal experts that a NYC jury is less than 50% likely to convict - that is what amazes me most.

How realistic is that statement, "that a NYC jury is less than 50% likely to convict" ?

Am I reading that correctly, that if a NYC jury failed to convict for murder, he could go free ?

In that circumstance would that likely come about via jury nullification ?

He’s been convicted of a Federal offense, so he’s not going free regardless of what happens with the New York charges. But yes, if a NY jury acquitted him of all NY charges and he had not been charged with Federal offenses, he would go free. That’s how the criminal justice system works in this country.