Luigi Mangione admits to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO: 'I knew what I was doing'

Luigi Mangione in an earlier appearance in state court, ahead of a scheduled murder trial.

The Ivy League graduate pleaded guilty to separate stalking charges in federal court.

David Dee Delgado-Pool/Getty Images Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to stalking charges in federal court in a striking reversal.

In the hearing, Mangione described tracking down and shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A judge will sentence him on December 18.

The federal charges carry a possibility of life in prison.

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges on Friday, throwing a wrench into a separate state murder trial scheduled to begin next month over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In the striking development, Mangione reversed his previous not guilty plea in federal court as members of Thompson's family looked on from the front row.

Mangione wore a khaki T-shirt and pants.

Journalists and members of the public — some of them fans of the 28-year-old — filled the wooden benches in the downtown Manhattan courtroom.

After answering a series of questions from US District Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione read a statement.

"After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating obstacles from the health insurance system, I learned that UnitedHealthcare would be holding its annual investor conference in New York City on December 4, 2024," he said.

"I traveled to New York with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson.

On December 4, 2024, I shot Brian Thompson, and he died.