A New York State court on Tuesday dismissed two terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Additionally, the court ruled that Mangione will be tried for second-degree murder (not premeditated).
According to the BBC, the judge found that there was insufficient evidence to justify murder charges linked to terrorism.
The dismissed charges were first-degree murder (premeditated) for terrorist purposes and second-degree murder as a terrorist act.
The 27-year-old’s defense had argued that the terrorism charges should be dropped because New York State law defines terrorism as an attack on multiple people at the same time.
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson, head of a health-focused insurance company, on a busy Manhattan street last December. He was arrested a few days later.
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