Luigi Mangione, 28, has pleaded guilty in federal court to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson was fatally shot in December 2024 outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day, multi-state manhunt. During the arrest, police seized the alleged murder weapon and a notebook containing a purported manifesto.
During a hastily scheduled hearing on Friday, Mangione admitted to a federal judge that he stalked and shot Thompson, stating, "On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died." By pleading guilty to two federal stalking counts, Mangione now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Despite the federal plea, Mangione still faces separate state murder, weapons, and forgery charges in New York, with a trial scheduled for September 8. His lawyers are moving to have these state charges dismissed on double jeopardy grounds, arguing that the federal plea means he cannot be prosecuted in state court for the slaying.