Luigi Mangione told a federal judge in Manhattan on Friday that he shot UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, pleading guilty to two federal stalking charges.
The admission came during a hearing ahead of trial, DR reports, citing BBC coverage from inside the courtroom. Mangione told the judge that he shot Thompson in Manhattan and that he knew what he did was illegal.
Sentencing in the federal case is scheduled for December 18. According to DR, Mangione faces a possible life sentence. Reuters reported that the hearing took place in Manhattan federal court on Friday, August 14, and that he told the court Thompson died.
Two separate cases over the same killing
Mangione is charged in two separate criminal proceedings, one federal and one in New York state court. In the federal case he pleaded guilty on Friday to the two stalking charges connected to Thompson’s killing, DR reports. The state case covers murder, several weapons offenses and possession of a forged document.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the state charges, and that trial is scheduled to begin on September 8. Although both cases stem from the same killing, the charges differ because they were brought under federal law and New York state law respectively. CNBC reported that the plea came shortly before the state trial was due to open.
NPR reported that Mangione described stalking Thompson by posing as an investor. He did so to obtain information about a conference where Thompson was scheduled to appear, according to the same account. NPR also reported that he said he traveled to New York after using a 3-D printer to make a gun fitted with a silencer and magazine.
Per NPR, the U.S. attorney’s office called the killing unjustifiable. The original federal complaint, published by the U.S. Department of Justice, charged Mangione with stalking and murder over the shooting of Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024.
According to BBC, as cited by DR, Mangione’s defense may now seek to have the state case dismissed on double jeopardy grounds. That is the U.S. constitutional principle protecting against being prosecuted twice for the same offense. Reuters reported that the federal admission could affect the separate state proceedings.
Mangione appeared in court on Friday for a scheduled federal hearing, Reuters reported, and entered his plea during that appearance. The news agency noted that the hearing followed reports of a possible plea agreement. CNN reported earlier in the week that the state trial date remained set for September 8, 2026.
