Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, admitting in a Manhattan courtroom that he shot Thompson in December 2024.
Mangione, 28, entered guilty pleas to two federal charges, including interstate stalking resulting in death, at a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Friday. In a statement read to the court, he said: “I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died.”
Thompson, 50, was shot from behind on 4 December 2024 while walking into a hotel in midtown Manhattan. He was a father of two.
Mangione said he had planned the attack in advance, travelled across state lines intending to kill, and used a 3D-printed gun fitted with a silencer and magazine. He told the court he had learned that UnitedHealthcare was holding an annual investor conference in Manhattan that month and travelled to New York for the event.
He also said he had contacted UnitedHealthcare before the conference while posing as an investor and asking questions about the gathering. Mangione told the court that his experience with the healthcare system, following years of severe pain from a broken back, had driven him to kill Thompson.
Sentencing and state case
Federal sentencing is scheduled for 18 December. Prosecutors have recommended a prison term of between 24 and 30 years, but Judge Margaret Garnett said the recommendation does not bind the court. Mangione could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison as well as financial penalties. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty in both the federal case and a separate New York state prosecution. His state trial had been due to begin in September on eight charges, including second-degree murder, an allegation involving a forged driver’s licence, and six weapons-possession counts.
His lawyers have argued that the state prosecution should be dismissed following the federal guilty plea, saying it would violate protections against being prosecuted and punished twice for the same offence. Lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione had accepted full responsibility for Thompson’s death. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it was prepared to contest the defence motions and remains committed to pursuing justice for Thompson and his family.
Thompson’s family described the plea as an important move toward justice, while saying it would not lessen the pain of his loss. They said they would continue seeking justice in New York and Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested, and called for a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the crime.
Source: BBC News
