This gives “Free Luigi” a different meaning. Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione was expected in court on Monday, but was late after he got stuck in an elevator at the Manhattan courthouse. As he was being brought up in a back secure elevator to the courtroom for his hearing, the elevator go t stuck, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Building engineers were called and were able to get Mangione and the two deputies escorting him out of the elevator. Crime and Courts Jun 25 Luigi Mangione's attorneys discussed possible plea deal with feds ahead of trials: sources Crime and Courts Jun 18 Luigi Mangione's lawyers reverse course, say they won't pursue a psychiatric defense Crime and Courts Jun 16 Luigi Mangione's hearing delayed a day after DA fails to notify jail While the sources said Mangione was only trapped for about 10 minutes, a court official with knowledge of the incident said he was more than a half hour late for the proceeding. Mangione entered through the judge’s door instead of the usual entrance for those in custody, the court official said. In court, Mangione appeared bemused by the situation, as he briefly gazed at the courtroom gallery where about two dozen of his supporters were sitting. The pre-trial hearing was set to center around how prospective jurors will be screened for his federal trial, which was scheduled to start in January. Jury selection is set for Jan. 5, while opening statements and testimony will begin on Jan. 25, instead of Nov. 4, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said at the hearing. Garnett said she was postponing the federal trial so Mangione’s lawyers can focus on his state murder trial, which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. The judge said she had hoped with “undue optimism” to hold the federal trial in the fall but that “we can no longer wait to see what happens” in the state case. “In my view it’s simply impossible to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied by conducting the state trial,” Garnett said. Mangione’s lawyers declined to comment to reporters afterward. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. He could spend his life in prison if convicted in either case. It comes after a plea deal in the murder trial reportedly fell through. Sources familiar with the federal case told NBC News that Mangione’s attorneys were talking with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal. Mangione’s defense team has disputed there was any possible deal, and accused prosecutors and law enforcement of trying to manipulate public opinion and violate Mangione’s constitutional right to a fair trial. ...read more read less