The Judge Overseeing Luigi Mangione’s Trial Has Already Sent a Would-Be Terrorist to Prison

Luigi Mangione's trial will undoubtedly be referred to as the trial of the century. The last time those words were used to describe high-profile legal proceedings was when O.J. Simpson was accused of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. We are in fact due for another trial of the century. Something odd that occurred during this trial was the elevation of civil servants who would typically go ignored. Judge Ito, who was talked about on the late-night circuit, was one of them.

Fast forward to 2024 and the judge presiding over Mangione's trial. He has a track record that suggests he is sympathetic to victims and in November 2024, sentenced a man who purchased a gun to "shoot up a Synagogue" to 10 years in prison, per The New York Times. It's clear that he is no stranger to a complicated case that will draw a ton of attention from both the press and social media. Here's what we know about Judge Gregory Carro.

New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro has stated that he promised to give Mangione a fair trial, which will be difficult given the hoopla surrounding it. He encountered the 26-year-old for the first time on Dec. 23, 2024, at his arraignment where he pleaded not guilty, reported ABC 7 NY. Judge Carro set the bail to a dollar which was just a formality as this is a federal case. He then scheduled the next hearing for Feb. 21, 2025.

According to Business Insider, before Carro set on a judge's bench he was a narcotics and homicide prosecutor who was appointed by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in June 1998. Carro was following in his father's footsteps, said The New York Times. The late John Carro was appointed a judge in 1968 by Mayor John V. Lindsay and was "one of only two or three Puerto Rican judges in the city and the first from the Bronx." When the younger Carro ascended to the bench, there were about 40 Hispanic judges in the city.

Although his father was fairly liberal, Carro is a bit more conservative. He was happy about contributing to diversity in the courts, but was more focused on following the laws of the land. "I really think it doesn't matter who's sitting on the bench," he said. "As long as the justice is true and fair, the public will pick up on that and have confidence in the courts."

It's been more than 25 years since that day, and Carro has been in charge of some pretty intense cases during that time. In June 2011, two New York City police officers were acquitted of rape charges despite the fact that Carro allowed a recorded conversation between one of the officers and the alleged victim to be played in court. In it, the officer is confirming that he wore a condom with the woman though during the trial, he denied ever having sex with her, per NBC News.

In May 2018, Carro sentenced Yoselyn Ortega to life in prison. The former nanny was found guilty of fatally stabbing the two children she was hired to watch, both of whom were under the age of 7. She claimed this was a result of an untreated mental illness but Carro said her actions were "pure evil," per The New York Times.

These are two entirely different cases, with two outcomes. It's hard to say how Judge Carro will handle Mangione's trial.