Luigi Mangione confessed in court on Friday to the fatal shooting of health insurance executive Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking the CEO with the intent to kill.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he passed away,” Mangione stated. Dressed in beige prison attire, he spoke calmly and clearly while delivering a prepared statement that criticized the U.S. health insurance system.
Thompson’s widow, accompanied by other family members, sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery. Emotions ran high as Mangione admitted to shooting Thompson, prompting her to become visibly upset while being comforted by two women beside her.
By pleading guilty, Mangione avoided a federal trial in the high-profile case surrounding the killing of the 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO. The brazen act was strongly denounced by public figures and underscored widespread frustration with practices within the health insurance industry.
The 28-year-old Mangione entered his guilty plea without a plea deal with federal prosecutors, leaving no assurance that accepting responsibility would lead to leniency during sentencing. Prosecutors indicated their intention to seek the maximum sentence of life imprisonment at the sentencing scheduled for December 18.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett may take into account Mangione’s guilty plea as a mitigating factor when determining his punishment. Additionally, the federal guilty plea enabled Mangione’s legal team to file a motion to dismiss separate state charges of murder and possession of weapons before the upcoming trial, arguing against facing punishment twice under New York’s double jeopardy law.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized that no accommodations or concessions were made for Mangione by their office. McDonald stressed that no grievance or ideological cause could justify murder, echoing the sentiments of Thompson’s family, who deemed the guilty plea a crucial step towards justice.
Thompson, once the leader of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, was tragically killed outside a hotel during an investor conference on December 4, 2024. The incident, captured on video, triggered a five-day manhunt for a suspect, leading to Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania.
Mangione outlined in his statement to the court his struggles with insurance following a back injury, revealing that he impersonated an investor managing substantial assets to gain information about UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference. He then proceeded to craft a firearm component using a 3D printer and traveled to New York with the intention of targeting Thompson.
UnitedHealth Group expressed gratitude to law enforcement for apprehending Thompson’s killer, underscoring the collaborative effort in bringing closure to the case. Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty to federal murder, weapons, and stalking charges, with legal technicalities eventually resulting in the dismissal of the murder and weapons charges in January 2026.
The state case against Mangione, which includes charges of terrorism, murder, weapons, and forgery, is scheduled for trial in September. Mangione faces the possibility of 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. His legal team has invoked New York’s double jeopardy law to seek the dismissal of the state charges, citing constitutional rights and due process considerations. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has affirmed its commitment to pursuing justice for Thompson and his family, setting the stage for potential legal battles over the case’s prosecution path.