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Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. During a court appearance on Friday, Mangione, 28, admitted to shooting Thompson in 2024, reversing his earlier plea of not guilty to stalking and first-degree murder charges from an April 2025 hearing.
The incident occurred on December 4, 2024, when Thompson, 50, was walking outside a Midtown hotel en route to a UnitedHealthcare shareholder meeting. Mangione was apprehended days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
In court, Mangione acknowledged the seriousness of his actions, stating, “I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Earlier this year, Judge Margaret M. Garnett dismissed two federal charges against Mangione, including one that involved murder with a firearm during stalking-a charge that carried the possibility of the death penalty. The remaining charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment followed by supervised release, with no parole but potential early release for good behavior, requiring at least 85% of the sentence to be served.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 18. Meanwhile, Mangione faces additional state charges, with a trial set for September. His defense team is attempting to have these charges dismissed based on New York’s double jeopardy law, while state prosecutors argue that the state and federal cases address distinct harms and should proceed separately.