Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Appearing in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, the 28-year-old defendant admitted to two specific federal offenses: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death.
During the hearing, Mangione recounted his process of researching UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference. He admitted to emailing the company while posing as an investor to gather specific details, confirming that he used this information to target Thompson. The victim’s family was present in the courtroom, coming face-to-face with the man who admitted to ending the life of the 50-year-old insurance executive.
“I shot Mr Thompson and he died,” Mangione told the court, acknowledging the gravity of his actions. He further stated, “I knew what I was doing was illegal.” Jamie McDonald, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, hailed the plea in what he described as a “deliberate, calculated and premeditated” killing of Thompson.
Addressing the media after the hearing, McDonald emphasized that the murder was an attempt to draw public attention to Mangione’s grievances against certain businesses. “No grievance, political belief or ideological cause can ever justify murder. There can be no celebrity in assassination,” McDonald stated. He noted that the “open” guilty plea allows his office to seek the maximum possible sentence: life imprisonment.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, stated that her client has accepted “full responsibility” for the killing. However, she argued that Mangione has been treated unfairly by being subjected to both federal and state-level charges. The federal case is entirely separate from the state-level prosecution, which includes charges of second-degree murder and various firearm offenses to which Mangione has previously pleaded not guilty.
A significant legal hurdle remains regarding the state-level trial, which is currently scheduled to begin next month. Mangione’s defense team has filed a motion arguing that the state charges should be dismissed under New York’s double-jeopardy law, which protects individuals from being prosecuted twice for the same offense.
“Despite this being a single, isolated event, Mr Mangione has … successfully fought off terrorism charges and the death penalty,” Agnifilo said. “He’s been treated differently from every other defendant charged with this offense in New York.” The defense maintains that the state proceedings are redundant and legally improper given the federal conviction.
The request to dismiss the state charges is expected to face stiff resistance from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg has publicly stated that his office “remains fully committed” to pursuing justice for Thompson’s family through the state court system.
Brian Thompson, a father of two who oversaw the nation’s largest healthcare insurer, was fatally shot on a New York City street in December 2024. The incident triggered a massive five-day manhunt that concluded when Mangione was taken into custody at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. Mangione’s federal sentencing is currently set for December 18.
