NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting in a Manhattan courtroom that he shot the executive before he died.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione told the court, his voice steady as he read from a prepared statement in a room described as tense and silent. He told Judge Margaret Garnett he understood the plea meant giving up his right to a trial, and that it exposed him to a possible life sentence.
Thompson, 50 and a father of two, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2024, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company had gathered for an investor conference. His death, and the five-day manhunt that followed, drew national attention to the health insurance industry and to Mangione himself.
Mangione entered guilty pleas to two federal stalking counts. There is no plea agreement with the government, meaning prosecutors and the defense have not settled on a sentencing range in advance. The judge told Mangione that although federal guidelines suggest a range of roughly 24 to 30 years, she is not bound by them and retains full discretion — and prosecutors have said they will seek life in prison, the maximum available. Sentencing is set for December 18, and Mangione will remain in federal custody until then. Should he receive a federal prison term, he would be required to serve up to 85 percent of it.
In a statement issued after the hearing, Thompson’s family called the plea an important step toward justice, saying that while nothing will ease the pain of his loss, they are grateful the federal system has held the responsible party accountable. They said they now expect the court to hand down a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime, while noting that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania still lie ahead.
The plea immediately raised questions about the parallel state case against Mangione, who still faces murder and other charges in New York, to which he has previously pleaded not guilty. His defense team filed a motion in state court shortly after Friday’s hearing seeking to dismiss most of those charges, arguing that prosecuting him twice over the same conduct amounts to double jeopardy. A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said the office remains committed to pursuing a state conviction and is prepared to fight the defense’s motion.
Mangione, 28, also faces separate charges in Pennsylvania stemming from his arrest during the manhunt that followed Thompson’s killing.
BBC
