Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old accused of killing a health care executive on a Manhattan street, pleaded guilty to stalking charges in federal court Friday.
Mangione faced those charges in connection with the December 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
"I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died," Mangione said in court Friday. "I knew what I was doing."
Thompson's family was in the courtroom sitting in the front row watching as Mangione entered his plea. Mangione voiced no remorse and repeatedly referenced his concerns with the U.S. health care system.
Mangione, who arrived in court wearing what appeared to be tan-colored prison fatigues rather than the business suit he's worn to previous hearings, said he stalked Mr. Thompson, posing as an investor to gain information about the conference where Thompson was scheduled to appear.
According to Mangione, he traveled to New York after using a 3-D printer to make a gun, which he equipped with a silencer and a magazine. Throughout that process, he said, it was his "intent to shoot Brian Thompson."
Speaking during the hearing, federal prosecutors said they had an overwhelming amount of evidence, including DNA and fingerprints from the murder scene.
"Today, Luigi Mangione admitted to stalking and murdering Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in broad daylight," said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald in a statement. "No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can justify murder."
Earlier this year, a federal judge struck down charges that might have brought the death penalty.
Mangione still faces murder charges in a state trial set to begin next month, but his guilty plea in federal court is expected to have significant impacts on the state trial. New York state's strict double jeopardy law could potentially upend those proceedings. That law says that a defendant can't be tried twice for the same thing.
Mangione's defense team cited that law in a motion filed Friday, shortly after his federal guilty plea, urging state court Judge Gregory Carro to dismiss state charges against him, including a count of 2nd degree murder. If successful, that legal maneuver could spare Mangione a longer prison term.
State prosecutors have argued their case is distinct, and that double jeopardy should not apply. In a statement to NPR, a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office said they would fight efforts by Mangione's defense team to derail the state's prosecution.
"We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson's family received a measure of accountability today," DA spokesman Douglas Cohen said. "While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions. The Manhattan D.A.'s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family."
If the state murder trial is allowed to move forward, prosecutors would be able to use Mangione's admission of guilt against him.
The case has drawn global attention and media scrutiny. Elected officials across the political spectrum have condemned what they described as politically-motivated violence but Mangione has won strong public support.
He's viewed by many as a vigilante whose actions against an unfair health care system were justified. Supporters have donated more than $1.5 million to his legal defense fund, according to a website run by pro-Mangione volunteers.
Thompson was a 50-year-old father of two. He was walking alone in midtown Manhattan hours before he was to host an investor conference at a hotel when he was fatally shot.
In a statement Friday, Thompson's family said Mangione's guilty plea marks 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. Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime."
Mangione will be sentenced on federal charges in December.
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