Paulette Thompson, the widow of former UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, made a rare public appearance Friday at a Manhattan Federal Court hearing for Luigi Mangione, the man who admitted to shooting and killing her husband in December 2024.
Mangione pleaded guilty to federal charges of stalking, admitting, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died." He faces between 24 and 30 years in prison for the stalking charges. A state murder trial for Mangione is scheduled for next month, though his lawyers argue double jeopardy laws may prevent a retrial.
Paulette Thompson and her two sons have endured years of stalking, threats, and abuse following Brian Thompson's assassination. The targeting of the family began within 24 hours of the CEO's death, with fake bomb threats made against their separate homes in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Investigators determined these were attempts at "swatting," designed to elicit a large law enforcement response.
Despite the ongoing ordeal, the Thompson family has largely maintained a low profile. Friday's court appearance marked the first time Paulette Thompson has come face-to-face with Mangione. Many of Mangione's supporters, who view him as a folk hero due to perceived flaws in the insurance industry, have frequented his court hearings, prompting the Thompson family to avoid them.
Mangione, 28, confessed that after suffering years of pain from a broken back, he targeted UnitedHealth. He detailed how he emailed the company posing as an investor managing $58 billion to obtain information about the conference Thompson was attending. He then used a 3-D printer to create a firearm.
Thompson, 50, was shot and killed on December 4, 2024, outside a Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan while en route to an annual UnitedHealth Group investors' meeting. At the time of his death, he and Paulette Thompson were separated and living in separate homes.
Paulette Thompson had previously disclosed that her husband had received death threats but chose to proceed with his trip to New York. She described her family as "shattered" by his death, remembering him as a "loving father" and a "generous, talented man."
In addition to Mangione's admitted involvement, another individual, Shane Daley, 40, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to cyberstalking the Thompson family. Daley sent harassing voicemails, celebrated Thompson's death, and made threats against his sons. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.