Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded guilty Friday to federal stalking charges, potentially capping a saga that captivated the public and ignited fiery national debate over the insurance industry.
Thompson’s family was in court for the guilty plea. It was the first time any of the CEO’s relatives were in the same room with the man accused of gunning down their loved one. Thompson’s mother glared at him.
Before accepting the plea, Mangione admitted to killing the healthcare executive, saying, “On the morning of Dec 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back. I understood my actions would place him in fear of death and bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
The plea comes weeks before Mangione’s state murder trial was set to begin. The agreement means his lawyers could move to have the case tossed on New York double jeopardy grounds.
After the plea, Thompson’s family released a statement calling it an important step toward justice.
“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,” they said. “Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.”
The federal judge said she would not decide Mangione’s sentence Friday. She scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18 and remanded him to federal custody until then. Prosecutors have recommended 24 to 30 years. The judge has the prerogative to sentence him to any amount of time she wants, up to life in prison.
The Department of Justice previously had sought the death penalty in the federal case, but an appeals court ruling took that option off the table earlier in the year. The federal trial had been scheduled to start in January 2027, with the state trial getting underway with jury selection in just a few weeks, on Sept. 8.
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty after a judge dismissed two federal charges in the 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione originally faced 11 state charges. Last year, Judge Gregory Carro tossed out two of the more severe counts: first-degree murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism and second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism. In May, Carro dismissed a criminal charge related to a gun magazine.
The killing set off a nationwide conversation about the health insurance industry and focused attention on Mangione, who was decried by some as a violent extremist and defended by others as an avatar for rage over the insurance industry.
Thompson, 50, was shot as he walked to a Sixth Ave hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Thompson worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan. At the May 18 hearing, Carro ruled that a gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Mangione to the killing can be used as evidence against him.
The gun, a 3D-printed pistol, matches the one used to kill Thompson, prosecutors said. The notebook describes wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and rebelling against “the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel.”
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
This story originally appeared on NBCNewYork.com.
