Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, state murder trial delayed

Luigi Mangione admitted in federal court on August 14, 2026, to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleading guilty to two stalking charges in a move that abruptly ended the federal case and set the stage for a complex legal battle over his pending state murder charges. The plea, delivered in a Manhattan courtroom, immediately triggered a motion from his defense team to dismiss the separate New York state indictment on double jeopardy grounds.

In his statement to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione, 28, detailed his actions on the morning of December 4, 2024. He said he researched Thompson and the company’s investor conference, used a 3D printer to make part of a firearm, and traveled to New York with the intent to kill the executive. "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan," Mangione stated, adding he knew his actions were illegal. He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. Judge Garnett accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for December 18.

Thompson, 50, was shot from behind as he walked...