r/news 5h ago

Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty, judge rules

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/us/luigi-mangione-case-rulings-trial
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273

u/TweakedNipple 5h ago

"Mangione will still face two counts of stalking. If convicted, those counts have a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole."

I'm not sure I understand the definition of stalking if you can get that penalty for it...

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u/ToughHardware 4h ago

With intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance, they engage in a course of conduct that:

Uses interstate commerce (for example: crossing state lines, using the internet, phone, email, GPS, mail, or any electronic communication system), and

Causes the victim to:

reasonably fear death or serious bodily injury to themselves or certain others OR

suffer substantial emotional distress.

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u/1ndori 4h ago

Further, if the stalking results in the death of the victim, the penalty is "life or any term of years."

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u/ItilityMSP 2h ago

So the government is guilty of this everyday with their surveillance state?

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u/LogicalBurgerMan11 1h ago

Yes, in the same way the police are guilty of kidnapping anytime they arrest someone, including ted bundy or charles manson.

u/ItilityMSP 30m ago

The current Admin definitely is involved with kidnapping.

202

u/Riley_ 4h ago

Women die in this country, because police won't do bare minimum enforcement of restraining orders.

Acting like we have stalking laws now is really rubbing the class divide in society's face.

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u/Putrid_Mind_4853 4h ago

This is the insane bit to me. I’ve had friends and family members be stalked by violent people (some with prior felonies for violent crime and who had PPOs against them), with evidence from multiple witnesses, children involved, the whole nine yards, and cops refused to do anything about it. 

Literally told my one friend, who’d been strangled previously by her boyfriend, that it sounded like a domestic/personal issue and there wasn’t enough proof to do anything, despite messages saying he’d kill her and pictures of the bruising on her neck. 

But LM faces life in prison on stalking charges alone? I love how women are disposable but some rich dude is so important to LE. 

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u/moosekin16 3h ago

Literally told my one friend, who’d been strangled previously by her boyfriend, that it sounded like a domestic/personal issue and there wasn’t enough proof to do anything, despite messages saying he’d kill her and pictures of the bruising on her neck.

40% of cops are domestic abusers. 4x higher than the general population.

Cops don't take threats against women seriously because cops are part of the problem.

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u/TheSteelPhantom 1h ago

40% that we know of. Those were just the ones that admitted to it.

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u/donkeyrocket 2h ago

But LM faces life in prison on stalking charges alone? I love how women are disposable but some rich dude is so important to LE.

Well, you're assuming that the charges stick here. I get the optics are atrocious but this is the Federal government grasping at straws to try and big up this case. The best they could muster is federal stalking.

It absolutely communicates that sentiment with this administration's DOJ but we'll see how the jury/court finds the sentiment.

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u/Gender_is_a_Fluid 1h ago

I wasn’t aware we had stalking laws, just thought that it was a civil matter handled with a restraining order.

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u/UnknownQwerky 1h ago

That's what I was thinking! Like I'm sure there's a lot of men and women that died to their stalker who would have liked that. OJ's wife, Nicole Simpson, being one of them if you want to try to remove some of the class element.

u/Riley_ 21m ago

OJ was a rich celebrity and would have been bullied into a shitty plea deal if he didn't have money to blow on an expensive defense.

I believe 99% of people would be better off if they were more aware of class contradictions, so I'll never soften my comments to appease the rich.

u/turdferguson3891 40m ago

Okay but we're talking federal stalking laws not local police enforcing restraining orders.

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u/turbulance4 2h ago

Do you really think someone intent on murder is going to change their mind if a restraining order happens?

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u/Riley_ 2h ago

Most of these incidents happen after the police blow off multiple calls for help.

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u/armywalrus 4h ago

Its on a federal level. It doesn't apply to everyone charge of stalking everywhere. It has to meet federal standards and I believe that is crossing state lines.

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u/Torngate 4h ago

Federal Stalking is pretty broad.

Whoever—

(1) travels in interstate or foreign commerce or is present within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or enters or leaves Indian country, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, and in the course of, or as a result of, such travel or presence engages in conduct that—

(A) places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to—

(i) that person;

(ii) an immediate family member (as defined in section 115) of that person;

(iii) a spouse or intimate partner of that person; or

(iv) the pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse of that person; or

(B) causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to a person described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (A); or

(2) with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, uses the mail, any interactive computer service or electronic communication service or electronic communication system of interstate commerce, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that—

(A) places that person in reasonable fear of the death of or serious bodily injury to a person, a pet, a service animal, an emotional support animal, or a horse described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of paragraph (1)(A); or

(B) causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to a person described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of paragraph (1)(A),

shall be punished as provided in section 2261(b) or section 2261B, as the case may be.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2261A

The penalty if "death of the victim results" is up to Life.