Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty after he was accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to sources close to the federal case.
Mangione, 28, entered the plea while appearing in court at the 40 Foley Square courthouse in New York City on Friday, August 14. He was facing two federal counts of interstate stalking resulting in death.
After Mangione’s lawyers told Judge Margaret Garnett that he was prepared to plead guilty, the judge directly asked him to confirm the plea. “Yes,” Mangione responded, according to The New York Times.
Mangione was then sworn in and asked several questions regarding his state of mind. He insisted his mind was clear before he pleaded guilty to the federal charges, both of which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After he entered the plea, Mangione spoke out about the shooting. “After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system … I learned that UHC would be holding an annual investor conference in NYC on December 4, 2024,” he said, according to Courthouse News reporter Erik Uebelacker.
Mangione confessed he traveled to New York with the “intent to shoot Brian Thompson.”
“On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” he said. “When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury.”
He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18. His attorneys said that a plea deal was not reached before Mangione decided to plead guilty.
Following the plea, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said that they had “been tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction in New York State Supreme Court for the alleged cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson” since December 2024.
“We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson’s family received a measure of accountability today. While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions,” the statement continued. “The Manhattan D.A.’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family.”
He is still facing several charges in the state case, which include second-degree murder, various criminal possession of a weapon counts and criminal possession of a forged instrument in the New York state case.
Prior to the plea, Mangione was facing the potential of life in prison if he was found guilty in either the federal or state case.
Thompson, 50, was fatally shot while he was walking to a Manhattan hotel to attend UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference in December 2024. Surveillance footage captured a gunman using a weapon with “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on the ammunition as he shot at Thompson.
The words written on the weapon seemingly mimicked a phrase that has been used to describe how insurers in the healthcare field avoid paying claims.
Following an intense manhunt, Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Mangione previously pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges. He entered his plea in the federal trial months before it was scheduled to take place in January 2027. Meanwhile, his state trial is scheduled to begin on September 8.
The case has garnered national attention and continues to be highly publicized more than a year and a half after the crime.
During the May 18 hearing, New York State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro determined that a gun and notebook can be used as evidence in the case after prosecutors argued that the items link Mangione to the killing.
Prosecutors said that the gun, a 3D-printed pistol and matches that were used to kill Thompson connect Mangione to the crime scene. Additionally, prosecutors said that the notebook includes a section in which he said he wanted to “wack” a health insurance executive and that he was rebelling against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.”
Prosecutors initially pursued the death penalty for Mangione. However, a federal judge dismissed the death-eligible firearm murder charges he was previously facing in January and he is no longer able to be considered for the death penalty.
