Maryland native Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday in Manhattan federal court to charges tied to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione faces up to life in prison and still faces a New York state murder case.
What’s Happening: The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett accepted the plea during a hastily scheduled, 45-minute hearing.
Mangione said, “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died.”
“I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
What’s Important: Mangione admitted stalking Thompson, posing as an investor to gather details about a UnitedHealth Group conference and using a 3D-printed gun in the shooting. He expressed no remorse during the hearing and spoke about his grievances with the U.S. healthcare system.
Thompson was walking to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference when he was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan.
The Arrest: A nationwide manhunt followed the shooting. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
What Happens Next: Garnett scheduled federal sentencing for Dec. 18. Federal prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, are seeking life in prison.
Mangione also faces New York state charges, including second-degree murder. That trial is set to begin Sept. 8.
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo filed a motion immediately after the federal plea seeking to dismiss the state murder case under New York’s double jeopardy laws.
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