NewzNEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-of-factly that he trailed the executive to an investor conference in 2024 and gunned him down on a New York City street. Mangione, 28, said he even used a ruse to glean information about the event, contacting the health insurance company ahead of time under the guise of being an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm.Read the rest… Mangione, 28, entered the plea at a hastily scheduled hearing in Manhattan federal court, resolving one of two cases against him in connection with Thompson’s death.
Luigi Mangione, 28, entered the plea at a hastily scheduled hearing in Manhattan federal court, resolving one of two cases against him. Mangione has pleaded guilty to stalking charges in connection with the death of Brian Thompson, a health care executive. A separate judge will decide the future of Mangione's state trial.(Image credit: Steven Hirsch)
Luigi Mangione previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors. (EPA Images pic)NEW YORK: Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to killing a health insurance executive and pleaded guilty to federal charges of stalking the executive with the intent to kill him.The guilty plea will avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans' frustration with health insurance industry practices. It could also allow him to seek dismissal of state murder charges and delay an upcoming trial in that case.Mangione, 28, previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.
US District Judge Margaret Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a surprise ruling in January 2026. The decision eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty in the federal case, though he still faces a possible sentence of life without parole if convicted on the remaining stalking charges. His federal trial was most recently set for January.Mangione separately pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to state terrorism, murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The terrorism charges were thrown out by a judge in September 2025. A trial in that case is scheduled for Sept 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan. Mangione would face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.
Resolving the federal case could allow Mangione to seek dismissal of the murder charge under New York's double jeopardy law, which protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. Bragg's office would oppose the move, arguing that the murder charge is legally distinct from the federal charges. Whoever loses would likely seek an emergency appeal.
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