2026 DEATH LIST: FROM CEO MEETING ROOMS TO THE CAPITOL POWER PLANET – WHO WILL BE NEXT TO PAY THE PRICE?

Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin is among high-profile defendants with pending court dates in coming weeks

The docket isn’t wrapping up so much as carrying over, with headline cases boxed up for the new year as 2026 arrives.

For these defendants and the public, there are still unanswered questions and pending court dates.

Here’s where they stand and what’s expected next:

ROB REINER AND WIFE MURDERED: TIMELINE SHOWS ARGUMENT WITH SON NIGHT BEFORE DEATHS

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court for a suppression hearing as both sides prepare to wrap up arguments, Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Curtis Means for Daily Mail via Pool)

Luigi Mangione

The 27-year-old accused assassin allegedly stalked UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to a Manhattan hotel and shot him in the back outside before fleeing the scene and kicking off a five-day manhunt that ended with his capture at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles from the crime scene.

He faces charges in New York, Pennsylvania and federal court, and trials have not yet been scheduled in any of the cases.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty.

Next hearing: Jan. 9 (Federal)

SUSPECTED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN FIGHTS HOW MUCH PUBLIC CAN SEE

Tyler Robinson, accused of the murder of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

Tyler Robinson

The 22-year-old from southern Utah is accused of fatally shooting Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk from a sniper’s perch during a public speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10, 2025.

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He’s due in court on Jan. 16, 2026, for a preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors are expected to call witnesses to the stand to establish probable cause before the case heads to trial.

The hearing gives Robinson’s defense team a chance to cross-examine those witnesses, and the proceeding could reveal previously undisclosed evidence in the case.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

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Next hearing: Jan. 16

Rex Heuermann appears in Judge Tim Mazze’s courtroom with his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (James Carbone/Newsday via Pool)

Rex Heuermann

The 62-year-old architect is awaiting trial on more than half a dozen murder charges in connection with numerous deaths, years apart, in one of the country’s most infamous serial killer cases.

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According to prosecutors, the accused killer lived a quiet life in suburban Massapequa Park, New York, just east of New York City, walking to the train every day in a suit and carrying a briefcase.

However, authorities allege, he had a dark side — torturing and mutilating diminutive women, whose full or partial remains were found dumped along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, or in the woods of eastern Long Island.

Some experts have predicted additional victims may be identified, resulting in more charges, before he ever heads to trial.

Heuermann currently faces 10 charges of first- and second-degree murder in connection with the slayings of seven women going back to 1993. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty.

Next hearing: Jan. 13

Rob Reiner (center), with his wife Michele Singer and son Nick Reiner, attends Teen Vogue’s Back-to-School Saturday kick-off event at The Grove on Aug. 9, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Teen Vogue)

Nick Reiner

The troubled son of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner is accused of killing both of his parents in a knife attack after a public spat at an exclusive Christmas party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.

Both Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were killed with multiple stab wounds, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office.

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Nick Reiner could face the potential death penalty if convicted, although California has placed a moratorium on executions, and his attorneys are expected to present an insanity defense after reports that the 32-year-old has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Next hearing: Jan. 7

ALLEGED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON TO MAKE FIRST IN-PERSON COURT APPEARANCE

Alex Murdaugh, right, is shown here with his family. (Fox News)

Alex Murdaugh

Convicted of gunning down his wife, Maggie, 52, and son, Paul, 22, the disgraced former South Carolina attorney has an appeal pending.

Murdaugh’s attorney, Dick Harpootlian, told Fox News Digital in late December that he is “cautiously optimistic” that a guilty plea from the court clerk involved in Murdaugh’s case could pave the way for a new trial.

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Rebecca Hill, the former court clerk in Colleton County, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, perjury and other misconduct in connection with the trial that led to Murdaugh’s conviction.

The 57-year-old Murdaugh is serving life in prison without parole.

Next hearing: Feb. 11

JonBenét Ramsey, found murdered in her Boulder home in 1996, may see her case revived as new DNA technology offers hope for answers. (Fox Nation)

Special mention: The unsolved murder of JonBenet Ramsey

The year 2026 marks three full decades since JonBenet’s mysterious murder a day after Christmas in 1996.

While no suspect has been identified, forensic investigators continue to make progress in other cold cases with investigative genetic genealogy and advances in DNA testing. In that regard, the murder in Boulder, Colorado, may be closer to being solved than ever before.