Meanwhile, Manhattan prosecutors are poised to oppose any federal plea deal for Mangione if it risks disrupting his forthcoming New York murder trial, where he’s accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.

A freshly unveiled letter, examined by News Media, revealed that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is closely monitoring rumors about Mangione’s potential guilty plea in a separate federal case. They express concern that this plea might be completed before the state trial unfolds.

Prosecutors have signaled they might request that the presiding federal judge considers the implications of such a deal on New York’s judicial process before moving forward with it.

This development follows a federal court session in June, where U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett deferred Mangione’s federal trial until January 2027, thereby paving the way for his New York murder trial to take precedence.

Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty in both the state and federal cases stemming from the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot outside a Manhattan hotel as he headed to a conference.

“If a proposed federal guilty plea would operate to defeat a just outcome in the state prosecution, the People could advise the federal district court of that consequence, and the court should consider that fact in deciding whether to accept the plea,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in the July 2 letter.

Prosecutors added that the court should also consider any opposition from Thompson’s family before accepting such a plea.

The letter marks the clearest sign yet that Manhattan prosecutors are prepared to push back against any deal they believe could keep the state’s high-profile murder case from ever reaching a jury.

The DA’s office said it has already shared its position with federal prosecutors and Mangione’s defense team.

Prosecutors argued that any resolution should reflect “the seriousness of defendant’s offenses,” “the loss of an innocent life,” the impact on Thompson’s family and New York’s interest in prosecuting the homicide.

The dispute comes after reports surfaced in June that Mangione’s legal team and federal prosecutors had discussed a possible plea deal but failed to reach an agreement.

Mangione attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo blasted information attributed to anonymous sources at the time as “a troubling, deliberate pattern by prosecutors and law enforcement to prejudice Luigi.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York previously declined to comment on the reported negotiations.

At a June 29 hearing, Garnett delayed Mangione’s federal trial after concluding there was no practical way for his attorneys to prepare for two high-profile trials at the same time.

During that hearing, Agnifilo confirmed Mangione’s New York murder trial remained on track to begin Sept. 8 and said the defense had been told there would be no delays.

“We’ve been told that no requests for adjournments will be granted and to be ready on that date,” Agnifilo told the court.

The judge said there was simply no realistic way to move both cases forward at once.

“It’s simply impossible for us to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied actually conducting the state trial,” the judge said. She rescheduled federal jury selection for Jan. 5, 2027, with opening statements set for Jan. 25.

Under the revised schedule, about 800 prospective jurors will complete written questionnaires in early December before in-person jury selection begins.

Manhattan prosecutors also argued New York should get the first opportunity to try Mangione because he was extradited there on the state case before he was later transferred into federal custody. Prosecutors argued that the transfer did not change New York’s priority to prosecute him first.

Prosecutors allege Mangione fled the city and was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Monday afternoon, the Chicago area was rattled by severe weather systems, with tornado warnings sweeping through multiple regions.

Residents of Kankakee County are currently under a Tornado Warning, which will remain in place until 5 p.m.

Additionally, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued affecting the counties of Grundy, Kankakee, and Will. This alert is expected to last until 4:45 p.m.

In LaPorte County, residents should brace for severe thunderstorms, with warnings extending until 5:15 p.m.

Cook and DuPage counties are not spared from these weather conditions either, as a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect until 5:30 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Lake and Porter counties in Indiana until 5:30 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Cook, DuPage, Kankakee, Lake and Will counties in Illinois and Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana until 7 p.m.

There is a Flash Flood Warning for Cook County until 5 p.m.

There is a Flash Flood Warning for Kendall and Will counties until 6:45 p.m.

Two contractors are trapped in a storm sewer in Downers Grove, village officials said.

Police were flagged down about 12:50 p.m. in the 800-block of Curtiss Street.

Downers Grove fire crews are working to rescue them, officials said.

Ground Stops are in effect at O’Hare and Midway.

There were about 440 flights canceled at O’Hare as of 4 p.m. About 50 flights were canceled at Midway.

Delays at both airports were about 90 minutes.

ComEd said nearly 300,000 customers were without power at around 3 p.m.

Nearly 30,000 NIPSCO customers are affected.

The CTA Purple Line train is suspended due to debris near Central, the CTA said just before 2 p.m.

The No. 201 Central/Ridge bus is still running.

Shuttle buses are available from Howard to Linden to provide connecting service through the affected area.

The Yellow Line is also suspended due to debris on the tracks near Dodge.

The No. 97 Skokie bus is still running.

Shuttle buses are available from Howard to Skokie.

The village of Burr Ridge offices are closed Monday due to a power outage.

Storms began moving in late Monday morning, with quarter-size hail reported in some suburbs such as Clarendon Hills and potentially baseball-size hail in Bolingbrook.

Radar was indicating rotation near the Darien area around 12:15 p.m. At about 12:38 p.m., the storm was moving near Orland Park.

Orland Park police asked residents to stay inside amid traffic lights out, trees and wires down and flooding.

Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker

Wheaton officials also said crews were responding to localized flooding and fallen trees.

Wilmette officials said storms have downed trees there as well.

In Wisconsin, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Winnebago County, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

The twister was moving over Lake Winnebago and moving southward toward Fond du Lac County around 12:25 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Images posted to social media showed extensive damage in Appleton, including homes stripped of roofs and siding, cars flipped over and streets littered with tree limbs.

In Menasha, the electric utility said the entire city of about 18,000 people is believed to be without power because of a downed transmission line.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

There is a Flood Warning for the Little Calumet River at Munster until 1 p.m. Tuesday.

There is a Flood Warning for Cook County and Lake County, Indiana until 1 p.m. Tuesday.

In Little Village, cars were getting stuck in flooded streets Monday.

At one point a suburban man said the water was up to the window of his black Lexus sedan near California Avenue and 31st Street. He said he thought he could make it. His brother spoke for him.

“He just couldn’t move his car like off now; I think the engine is broken because of water. The water was tough on his window,” Ousame Sidi said.

Melissa Mosqueda was getting a ride to work from her boyfriend, and even in their Jeep their engine was steaming after getting through the viaduct.

“It’s really bad right now; the weather is crazy. The traffic, all the bridges are full of water,” Melissa Mosqueda said.

Heat index values in western parts of the Chicago area could exceed 110, while the rest of the area could see heat index values more than 100, ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologist Tracy Butler said.

An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect for DeKalb, Grundy, La Salle and Livingston counties until 9 p.m. Monday.

A Heat Advisory is in effect for Boone, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois and Lake, Newton, Jasper and Benton counties in Indiana until 9 p.m.

How to stay cool in Chicago area amid rising temperatures this summer: LIST

A Beach Hazards statement is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday at Lake Michigan beaches.

A reminder during this heat: Community cooling centers are open.

You can also cool off at Chicago Park District facilities, public libraries and police stations.

Seniors are welcome at any city senior center.

To request a well-being check, call 3-1-1.

Cooling centers are also open across the suburbs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cook County Radar | DuPage County Radar | Will County Radar | Lake County Radar (IL) | Kane County Radar | Northwest Indiana Radar

Wrapped tightly in a cream-colored shawl, Lindsay Clancy’s frail figure appeared to be enveloped by the soft fabric. The shawl offered a semblance of warmth against the cold reality she faced.

A nurse had hurried to bring her the shawl as Clancy, seated in her wheelchair, shivered noticeably, unable to pull it around herself due to her condition.

Draped over the back of her wheelchair was a yellow tag labeled ‘personal property,’ a silent testament to her current state. Two attentive nurses sat behind the defense table, prepared to assist her whenever needed.

This scene starkly recalls that tragic night in January 2023, when Lindsay attempted suicide after allegedly strangling her three children: Cora, aged five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan. The suicide attempt left her permanently paralyzed.

Captivating national attention, Clancy’s murder trial delves into the rare and disturbing cases of postpartum psychosis. This condition affects a small fraction of new mothers, causing delusions and occasionally hallucinations. Lindsay Clancy has entered a plea of not guilty, with her defense expected to focus on an insanity claim.

It also offers a jarring contrast between Clancy’s seemingly perfect life in suburban Massachusetts and the horrific tragedy that occurred, combined with intense debates over maternal mental health and criminal responsibility.

Inside Plymouth Superior Court during the first week of the trial, Clancy sat in the witness box and had to look up at everyone around her – the prosecutors, her lawyer, the judge and the jury pool deciding her fate.

She looked small and fragile in her chair. But mentally, she seemed sharp. Surprisingly so.

During the days-long jury selection, Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, took an active role. She watched the jurors’ faces closely and listened hard to their answers.

She read their questionnaires and followed the process intently, turning her head from speaker to speaker.

She kept glancing at her attorney, Kevin Reddington, sending him quiet signals – a nod, a raised eyebrow – to show approval or disapproval of each candidate.

Reddington, who once represented mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig, sometimes let Clancy make the final call.

At one point, Judge William Sullivan asked if either side wanted to strike a man in his 30s from the panel. Reddington paused and looked at Clancy. She gave him a knowing glance. He said no. The man stayed on the jury.

At times, Clancy’s face tightened with pain, her brow furrowed, her hands clenched in her lap. At other moments, she smiled faintly while chatting with her lawyer during breaks.

Watching from the public gallery, near Clancy’s parents, Mike and Paula Musgrove, it was strange to see how composed she looked.

This is a woman who was arraigned from her hospital bed. A woman whose entire trial hinges on her mental state.

Clancy is accused of strangling Cora, Dawson and Callan with exercise bands inside their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023.

She then tried to take her own life, cutting her wrists and neck before jumping from a second-floor window. She survived, but lost the use of her legs.

She faces three counts of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty in a blockbuster trial that raises tough questions around postpartum mental illness and criminal responsibility.

Prosecutors say Clancy planned the killings and was of sound mind, pointing to her internet searches and the fact that she sent her husband Patrick out for takeout while it happened.

She doesn’t deny killing her children that day. Her defense argues she isn’t criminally responsible because severe postpartum depression and psychosis had taken hold of her mind.

Her attorney has called her mental state a ‘toxic soup,’ worsened by heavy medication and treatment gaps, despite her repeated pleas for help.

The couple has since divorced, and Patrick has remarried and moved to New York City.

But he will give evidence in support of his ex-wife, who has instead put blame on the clinicians who knew she was sick and, he claims, let her down.

Whether that illness explains away her responsibility is the core question for the jury.

Her condition today doesn’t matter to the case. She’s spent the past three years in psychiatric care at Tewksbury Hospital.

What she understands now has no bearing on what she understood then. Only her state of mind in that moment, more than three years ago, counts.

But separating who she was then from who she appears to be now may prove hard for any jury.

This week made clear how hard it would be to find 12 people willing and able to hear this case.

Some jurors couldn’t commit to a trial that could run eight weeks. Others carried obvious bias, given the case’s high profile and its subject: a mother accused of killing her own children.

Many simply found the weight of it all too much.

The first potential juror questioned Tuesday morning broke down in tears and couldn’t finish her answer. The gray-haired woman, in her 60s, waved off her emotions and reached for tissues. A court officer checked on her after she was dismissed.

A day earlier, another woman left the courtroom in tears after similar questioning.

Others excused included a pregnant woman close to Clancy’s age, and several people with young children or grandchildren – sparing them from graphic testimony and autopsy photos of Cora, Dawson and Callan.

Some jurors shared their own experiences. One man said his wife had suffered postpartum depression after their child was born.

Even jurors already seated asked to be let off. One man in his 30s, seated Monday, returned Tuesday to say he couldn’t handle it.

‘I just don’t know if I can handle being on the jury,’ he told the judge. ‘I’ve just heard about it and a crime like this is really just horrible… I don’t think I can handle it.’

The judge dismissed him.

Friday brought more of the same, as a man and woman seated earlier in the week were excused at the last minute, forcing the court to find replacements.

None of this surprises legal experts.

‘Jurors often come into a case like this with powerful emotional reactions,’ said attorney Shari Karney. ‘One of the defense’s biggest hurdles is overcoming the natural bias many people have when a mother is accused of killing her own children.’

Layer in the question of mental illness and legal responsibility, and the case grows even harder, said Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor and defense attorney.

Jurors, he said, must separate ‘moral horror from legal responsibility.’

‘The emotional facts are almost unbearable, but the legal question is much narrower,’ Levin said. ‘The jury is not being asked whether the deaths were horrific. It is being asked whether Clancy was criminally responsible when they occurred.’

‘The law requires them to decide the case based on her mental state, not simply on the unimaginable nature of the outcome.’

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial: Read all the key stories

After four days, roughly 350 potential jurors had passed through the courtroom. Each day, dozens raised their hands to admit bias, or said they couldn’t render a fair verdict.

By Thursday afternoon, 18 jurors had been seated – 12 women, six men, including six alternates. It’s a larger panel than usual, built to survive losses along the way.

Under Massachusetts law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

If the jury finds her not guilty by reason of insanity, she still won’t go free. She’ll be committed to a state psychiatric hospital, evaluated over time, and released only if she’s no longer seen as a threat.