Luigi Mangione on Friday admitted in court that he fatally shot health insurance executive Brian Thompson, while also pleading guilty to two federal stalking charges related to an alleged intent to kill the executive.
“I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione said.
His guilty plea means a federal trial in the closely followed case over the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing will no longer take place. The high-profile shooting drew condemnation from public officials, while also becoming a symbol of growing public frustration in the US over practices within the health insurance industry.
The plea could potentially help Mangione pursue the dismissal of state murder charges and avoid the trial that was scheduled in that case.
US District Judge Margaret Garnett said to Mangione that if he said he was guilty he could get a long sentence in prison for each thing he did. This sentence could be as long as life in prison for each count. Judge Margaret Garnett decided that Mangione will be sentenced on December 18.
Jamie McDonald, who is the US Attorney, in Manhattan talked to reporters. He said that his office wants Mangione to get a sentence of life in prison. Jamie McDonald and his office think that a life sentence is what Mangione should get.
Mangione claims he suffered a broken back
Thompson was heading UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division when he was fatally shot in the early hours of December 4, 2024, outside a hotel hosting an investor conference. His widow was seated in the front row of the courtroom gallery alongside other family members.
Mangione, 28, told the court that after suffering a broken back and dealing with the health insurance system, he began researching details about UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference.
He said he later used a 3-D printer to produce a component of a firearm before traveling to New York with the intention of killing Thompson.
In a statement, Thompson’s family described the guilty plea as an “important step toward justice”.
“We look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,” Thompson’s family said.
Death penalty ruled out
Graphic video of the killing, followed by a five-day search for the suspect, turned the case into a major media story and a viral sensation on social media. Mangione was eventually arrested in Pennsylvania.
Earlier, in April 2025, he had pleaded not guilty to murder, weapons and stalking charges filed by Manhattan federal prosecutors.
