Man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO pleads guilty

NEW YORK CITY (NBC, KYMA) - Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal charges Friday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In court, Mangione pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.

During the hearing, Mangione admitted to planning the shooting by posing as a potential investor and emailing the insurance giant to confirm the location of the investors conference in order to track down and shoot Thompson.

With member of Thompson's family in the courtroom, he also told the judge he was driving to carry out the murder because of his experience with the healthcare system as a patient dealing with a back injury.

Mangione now faces a maximum of life in prison during his sentencing hearing scheduled for December 18.

Immediately after he entered his plea, his legal team filed to have state charges against him dropped citing New York's "double jeopardy" laws.

Thompson's family released the following statement after the hearing:

"Today's guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family. While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable. Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime. We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves."

Both Mangione's attorney and prosecutors in the case spoke to the media after the plea hearing concluded.

"Today is a solemn and significant day. With today's guilty plea, Mr. Mangione has accepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson arising from the events of December 4th, 2024 outside of the United Healthcare Investor Conference here in Midtown Manhattan. It was a single tragic event, yet he's being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our health care and health insurance systems. Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life. Despite this being a single isolated event, Mr. Mangione has been unfairly treated since the outset in every way and has successfully fought off terrorism charges and the death penalty, while also fighting at the same time two simultaneous prosecutions in two jurisdictions who are trying to punish him twice for the exact conduct.

New York law does not permit a person to be prosecuted and punished twice for the exact same crime under a statute that governs successive prosecutions. It's also known as the Double Jeopardy Law. Today's guilty plea triggers the statute, and we just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York's double jeopardy protections.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Luigi Mangione's Attorney

"Just a few moments ago, Mangione pled guilty to his heinous act. This was not a spontaneous act of violence, it was deliberate, calculated and premeditated. In the days leading up to the murder, the defendant very carefully prepared for the attack. He tracked Mr. Thompson's whereabouts, conducted surveillance along the route he knew Mr. Thompson would take, and positioned himself to carry out the plan.

The defendant committed this murder in an attempt to draw public attention to his dislike of certain businesses. But we live in a civilized society governed by the rule of law. We debate, we disagree, we protest. We do not commit murder.

Today, the Southern District of New York, together with our law enforcement partners, writes the final chapter of Mangione's federal prosecution. Now he stands convicted in federal court and faces life in prison."

Jamie McDonald, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also commented on Mangione's guilty plea saying, "To those who idolize Luigi Mangione, I say this…violence is not a cause, murder is not a message, and a killer is certainly not a hero."