Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges in connection with the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Paulette Thompson, the widow of the slain executive, was present in the Manhattan courthouse as Mangione admitted to the killing.
Mangione, who faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, stated in court that he used a 3-D printer to create a gun before traveling to New York. He admitted to shooting Thompson on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, in Manhattan. "I knew what I was doing," Mangione told the judge.
During the hearing, Mangione acknowledged posing as an investor to gain information about an upcoming investor conference hosted by UnitedHealthcare. He told the judge he learned of the conference after enduring years of pain from a broken back. "After years if enduring severe pain from a broken back…I learned UnitedHealthcare will hold an investor’s conference," he said.
Federal prosecutors indicated they planned to present evidence including security footage that they said showed Mangione arriving in New York by bus and following Thompson at a Hilton hotel shortly before the shooting.
Judge Margaret Garnett scheduled Mangione's sentencing hearing for Dec. 18. Following the plea, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed those who may support Mangione, stating, "To those who idolize Luigi Mangione. I say this violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message. And a killer is certainly not a hero."
Tisch highlighted the extensive investigative effort by the NYPD after Thompson's assassination, involving the review of thousands of hours of surveillance video, hundreds of tips, and a substantial volume of forensic and digital evidence.
Paulette Thompson was seen leaving the courthouse after the proceedings.
