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 intention to kill him.
During the court session, Mangione, dressed in beige prison attire, calmly admitted, “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” while criticizing the U.S. health insurance system.
Witnessing the admission, Thompson’s widow, accompanied by other family members in the front row of the gallery, became emotional. The guilty plea by Mangione avoids a federal trial in the high-profile case involving the killing of the 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO, a crime that sparked outrage and highlighted public dissatisfaction with health insurance industry practices.
Mangione, 28, entered his plea without a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, with no assurance of leniency at the upcoming sentencing on December 18. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for Mangione.
In response to Mangione’s guilty plea, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett may consider it as a mitigating factor in determining his punishment. The plea also enabled Mangione’s legal team to file a motion seeking the dismissal of separate state murder and weapons charges, citing New York’s prohibition of double jeopardy.
Speaking to reporters, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized that no special treatment had been extended to Mangione, reiterating that no grievance or ideology justifies murder. Thompson’s family expressed that the plea represents a vital step towards justice and urged the court to ensure that the sentencing aligns with the severity of the crime.
Before the fatal incident on December 4, 2024, Thompson headed the insurance division of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group and was shot outside a hotel where an investor conference was being held. The case garnered extensive media coverage and social media attention following the release of graphic footage of the killing and a subsequent manhunt that led to Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania.
In his courtroom statement, Mangione recounted challenges he faced with his insurance following a back injury. He detailed how he impersonated an investor managing substantial assets to gather information on the investor conference where he planned the shooting. Mangione confessed to using a 3D printer to manufacture a component of a firearm and traveling to New York with the intent to kill Thompson.
UnitedHealth Group expressed gratitude to law enforcement for apprehending Thompson’s killer. Mangione, who previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges, saw murder and weapons charges dismissed earlier in 2026, eliminating the possibility of facing the death penalty in the federal case.
The legal proceedings continue, with a state trial scheduled for September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan. Mangione faces the prospect of 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Amidst legal arguments over double jeopardy, Mangione’s defense team contends that facing another trial would violate his constitutional rights.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office remains steadfast in seeking justice for Thompson and his family, navigating through legal complexities to ensure accountability for the heinous crime.