Luigi Mangione has admitted to killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking the executive with intent to kill him.
Mangione, 28, entered the guilty plea on Friday in a closely watched federal court case over the December 2024 killing.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione told the court, speaking calmly while reading from a prepared statement.
He was dressed in beige prison clothing as he acknowledged responsibility for the shooting and criticised the US health insurance system.
The guilty plea means Mangione will not face a federal trial over Thompson’s killing. However, he still faces separate state charges, including murder, weapons and forgery offences.
US District Judge Margaret Garnett informed Mangione that he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on each of the two federal counts. She scheduled his sentencing for December 18.
Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said prosecutors would seek a life sentence.
Thompson, who led UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit, was shot dead on December 4, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel where an investor conference was being held.
The killing attracted widespread attention, including public condemnation, while Mangione’s case became intertwined with broader public anger over the US health insurance industry and the cost and accessibility of healthcare.
Following Mangione’s federal plea, his lawyer filed a motion seeking dismissal of the separate state charges under New York’s double jeopardy law, which generally protects defendants from being prosecuted twice for the same conduct.
The state case is scheduled for trial on September 8.
Thompson’s family welcomed Mangione’s guilty plea, describing it as an “important step toward justice.”
“We look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,” the family said.
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