Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal charges over Brian Thompson’s killing

Luigi Mangione has entered a guilty plea to federal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of healthcare boss Brian Thompson.

Mangione, 28, is accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York on December 4, 2024.

He was arrested five days after the shooting following a nationwide manhunt, and has been in prison since.

Mangione previously pleaded not guilty to 50-year-old Thompson’s death, with his latest pleas coming as a stunning move with the potential to torpedo his upcoming state murder trial.

He has now pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. 

His legal team is expected to try to get his charges thrown out under the double jeopardy law, but prosecutors will argue against it.

This means he could still face life behind bars, but the death penalty has been ruled out. The maximum sentence for each of his two stalking charges is life.

Mangione will be sentenced on Friday, December 18.

While prosecutors have suggested a sentence between 24 and 30 years, it will be the judge’s decision.

Asked by Judge Garnett to explain why he believes he is guilty, Mangione read out a statement in court, offering his version of events for the first time since his case became somewhat of a cultural phenomenon.

He recalled enduring severe back pain from an injury for several years, after which he had to deal with the healthcare insurance industry.

Upon learning that UnitedHealthcare would be holding an annual conference on December 4 around two years ago, he says he looked into the event online and ‘used a 3D printer to make a gun and silencer’.

He added that he emailed the company ‘posing as an investor,’ claiming that he received a swift reply ‘unlike previous interactions with insurance’.

With the intention of shooting Thompson, he says he shot him in his back as he left his hotel.

‘I understood my actions would place him in fear of death and bodily injury,’ he said. ‘I knew what I was doing.

‘I shot Mr Thompson… and he died.’

Mangione was also asked by the judge if he knew what it meant to plead guilty, to which he said ‘yes’.

His lawyer said he did not strike a plea deal with the federal government, which is when a defendant is offered a shorter sentence, or even charges dropped entirely, in exchange for a guilty plea.

In this case, Mangione simply changed his ‘not guilty’ plea to ‘guilty’.

As a result of his plea, Mangione has forfeited his right to a trial.

Father-of-two Thompson’s family released a statement shortly after the hearing, beginning: ‘Today’s guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family.

‘While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable.’

‘Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,’ they added.

‘We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves.’

Head of the FBI, James Barnacle Jr, also spoke outside court, explaining that Thompson’s family ‘have been grieving for almost two years’ after he was ‘taken away in the most heinous way possible’.

‘They lost a son, a brother, a husband and a father and a friend.’

He hopes that today’s plea serves as a ‘glimmer of closure’ for them.