Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty, Admits Shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione on Friday admitted in a Manhattan federal court that he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, formally pleading guilty to federal charges stemming from the killing. Mangione, 28, made the admission during a hearing in New York, bringing the federal case to a close while a separate state prosecution over Thompson's death remains unresolved.

"On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," Mangione told US District Judge Margaret Garnett. When the judge asked whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life in prison, Mangione answered, "Yes." He subsequently pleaded guilty to two federal stalking counts connected to Thompson's killing. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18. During the hearing, Mangione also described how he had planned the attack.

He said that after experiencing severe pain from a broken back and frustrations while navigating the health insurance system, he learned that UnitedHealthcare was holding an investor conference in New York on December 4, 2024. He said he researched the event and contacted the company while posing as an investor to obtain information about the conference. Mangione told the court that his travel to New York and communication with UnitedHealthcare were undertaken with the intention of shooting Thompson.

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He acknowledged that he understood his actions were illegal and that they would put Thompson in fear of death or serious bodily injury. Prosecutors have described the killing as a planned attack, while the case has also drawn widespread public attention because of anger and debate surrounding the US health insurance system. Thompson was fatally shot on December 4, 2024, outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee alerted authorities.

A New York court record states that police recovered a 9mm handgun, ammunition, a silencer and other items from his backpack following his arrest. Mangione's federal guilty plea does not automatically resolve the separate murder case brought by New York state authorities. He continues to face state charges over Thompson's killing, while his lawyers are seeking to challenge the continuation of that prosecution under double-jeopardy protections. The federal case, however, has now moved to the sentencing stage, with Mangione potentially facing life imprisonment.

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