Mangione pleads guilty to stalking charges, admits shooting CEO

The admission could complicate a separate New York murder trial scheduled for next month Luigi Mangione has admitted to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges.

The 28-year-old entered the plea before US District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan on Friday, according to the Department of Justice.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for December 18.

Federal prosecutors said that Mangione traveled across state lines and tracked Thompson’s movements before the killing.

He pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and cyberstalking through interstate facilities resulting in death.

“I shot Mr.

Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione told the court.

He did not enter into a plea agreement with prosecutors, which can allow defendants to receive reduced charges or a lighter sentence in exchange for pleading guilty.

Read more Affordable healthcare is not going to happen “Today, Luigi Mangione admitted to stalking and murdering Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in broad daylight,” US Attorney Jamie McDonald said.

“No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can justify murder.

With today’s guilty plea, Mangione is being held accountable for a heinous crime that claimed an innocent life and drew national attention,” he added, crediting law enforcement agencies and prosecutors for their work on the case.

Mangione still faces eight felony counts in New York, including second-degree murder, six weapons charges, and possession of a forged instrument, with his trial due to begin on Sept.

8.

Following his federal plea, his lawyers moved to dismiss the murder and firearms charges, arguing that New York’s double-jeopardy protections bar him from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.