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NEW YORK: Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.
In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.
They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Brian Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference.
They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.
The killing set off a multi-state search after the suspected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.
Five days later, a tip from a McDonald’s about 233 miles (375 kilometers) away in Altoona, Pennsylvania, led police to arrest Mangione. He has been held without bail since then.
Last month, lawyers for Mangione asked that his federal charges be dismissed and the death penalty be taken off the table as a result of public comments by US Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi directed prosecutors in New York to seek the death penalty, calling the killing of Thompson a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Murder cases are usually tried in state courts, but prosecutors have also charged Mangione under a federal law on murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence.” It’s the only charge for which Mangione could face the death penalty, since it’s not used in New York state.
The papers filed early Saturday morning argued that this charge should be dismissed because prosecutors have failed to identify the other offenses that would be required to convict him, saying that the alleged other crime — stalking — is not a crime of violence.
The assassination and its aftermath has captured the American imagination, setting off a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward US health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security.
After the killing, investigators found the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” written in permanent marker on ammunition at the scene. The words mimic a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

MEXICO CITY: Flooding caused by heavy rains in central and southeastern Mexico has set off landslides, damaged homes and highways, and left at least 28 people dead, authorities said Friday.
Videos on social media from different parts of the affected areas showed streets turned into rivers carrying away vehicles and houses almost completely covered in water.
Mexico deployed 8,700 military personnel to assist the population.
One of the hardest hit areas was the central state of Hidalgo, where 16 deaths have been reported, according to state Interior Secretary Guillermo Olivares Reyna.
At least 1,000 homes, 59 hospitals and clinics, and 308 schools have suffered damage in the state because of landslides and rivers topping their banks. Some 17 of the states 84 municipalities were without electricity, he said.
In neighboring Puebla state, nine people died and 13 were missing, according to Gov. Alejandro Armenta. He requested help from the federal government to rescue 15 people, including some children, who were stranded on rooftops by floodwaters. He estimated some 80,000 people were affected by the heavy rains and said a gas pipeline was ruptured by a landslide.
In the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, two people died, including a police officer, Gov. Rocío Nahle said. Some 5,000 homes were damaged and the Navy evacuated nearly 900 people to shelters. The city of Poza Rica was one of the hardest hit by river flooding. Authorities cut electricity as a precaution.
Earlier, authorities in the central state of Queretaro confirmed that the child had died after being caught in a landslide.
The heavy rainfall also caused power outages affecting more than 320,000 users and damage to almost 1,000 kilometers of roads in six states, authorities said.