Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty in Federal Case, Casts Doubt on State Murder Trial

NEW YORK —

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to two federal charges of stalking resulting in death, admitting he killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024, according to the BBC. "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died," Mangione told the court, according to Deutsche Welle and the BBC.

Mangione, 28, told U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett that he tracked Thompson using surveillance and crossed state lines to carry out the shooting, the BBC reported. He said he acted "after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back and navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system," according to Deutsche Welle. Prosecutors said he had contacted UnitedHealthcare beforehand while posing as a potential investor to learn details about the company's investor conference, Euronews reported.

What He Admitted

The two federal charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 24 to 30 years, but Judge Garnett said in court that the final decision on Mangione's sentence rests with her, according to the BBC. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, per Deutsche Welle.

There was no plea deal, despite earlier media speculation, the BBC reported. A federal judge had already dismissed a charge that could have carried the death penalty, along with a separate weapons count, leaving only the two stalking charges, according to the BBC and Deutsche Welle.

Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, told reporters his office would still seek life in prison, saying "there can be no celebrity in assassination," according to Deutsche Welle. Thompson's family said in a statement that the plea was "an important step toward justice" and called for a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime, Deutsche Welle reported.

The State Case in Question

Mangione still faces eight felony charges in New York state court, including second degree murder, and has pleaded not guilty to all of them, according to the BBC. Jury selection in that case had been set to begin September 8.

His lawyers argue the state case must be dismissed because New York's double jeopardy protections, which are broader than the federal constitutional standard, bar prosecuting someone twice over the same conduct once a federal case ends in a guilty plea, the BBC and Euronews reported. Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said outside court that Mangione