Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty in Federal Court for UnitedHealthcare CEO Case

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to charges of stalking resulting in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson at a federal court hearing in New York City on Friday.

According to The New York Times , Mangione’s lawyers told Judge Margaret Garnett that their client was prepared to plead guilty to the two stalking counts against him in the federal indictment. When asked directly by the judge if he was prepared to plead guilty, Mangione said, “Yes.”

Mangione was then sworn in and asked a series of questions about his state of mind, whether he’d taken any medications recently, or under the care of any doctors or mental health professionals. The 28-year-old indicated that his mind was clear before pleading guilty to the two charges: one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, and one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.

Thompson was killed on Dec. 4, 2024 in midtown Manhattan, in a brazen crime that shocked the nation and incited heated debates about the healthcare insurance industry. The bullet casings had the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on them, echoing a common phrase used by critics. A five-day nationwide manhunt ensued, as images of the murder , as well as the masked suspect, were shown on television and social media.

Mangione faced two stalking charges in his federal case, with a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He had previously also faced a charge of murder through the use of a firearm, which carried a possible death penalty sentence, but that federal charge and an additional firearms charge was dropped in January . His federal trial was scheduled to begin in January 2027, with a state murder trial set for Sept. 8 of this year.