Luigi Mangione, 28, has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in New York City on December 4, 2024. Mangione admitted in Manhattan Federal Court that severe back pain and his perceived obstacles within the health insurance system motivated the killing.
Mangione explained that he learned UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City and that company executives, not medical professionals or patients, would be in attendance. He stated he posed as an investor with a $50 billion asset management firm via email to obtain information about the conference. This interaction, he claimed, yielded a quicker response than his previous dealings with insurers.
Mangione also detailed his preparation for the attack. He used a 3-D printer to create a part of a firearm and equipped it with a silencer and magazine before traveling to New York. He confessed that his intent in traveling to the city and contacting the company was to shoot Thompson.
"On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died," Mangione told the court. "When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal."
The guilty plea covers one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Federal murder charges against Mangione were previously dropped, but he faces a state trial for murder next month. Mangione's legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the state charges, citing New York's double jeopardy laws.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence, which could be life in prison, though the judge noted federal sentencing guidelines suggest approximately 24 to 30 years. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 18. No formal plea deal is in place.
Thompson's family issued a statement after the hearing, expressing gratitude for the guilty plea as a step toward justice. They urged the court to impose a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime and indicated they would continue to pursue justice in upcoming state proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania.
Mangione's lawyer argued that her client has been treated unfairly, facing simultaneous prosecutions in two jurisdictions for the same conduct, and has fought off previous charges, including terrorism and the death penalty.
