Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to two federal stalking charges in connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The plea came after a federal judge dismissed the murder and firearms charges against Mangione in January, ruling that the federal stalking charges could not serve as the legal basis for a death-eligible murder charge.
Mangione, 28, admitted during his plea hearing that he shot Thompson in Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024, after tracking him to UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in the back,” he said. “I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett then asked Mangione how he pleaded to the two federal counts.
“Guilty,” he replied.
In a statement to the court, Mangione said he traveled to New York with the intent to shoot Thompson and contacted UnitedHealthcare leadership while posing as an investor to obtain information about the conference. He said the company responded within an hour.
Mangione also acknowledged using a 3-D printer to make the gun and silencer used in the shooting.
He still faces a separate second-degree murder case in New York state court. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. His attorneys have moved to dismiss the state case, arguing that the federal prosecution violates his constitutional protection against double jeopardy. Prosecutors have said they will oppose the motion.
Mangione’s federal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
